Environmental Pollutants and Pediatric Asthma

Abstract

It has been proposed that in industrially developed nations, the most serious diseases confronting children are the chronic conditions of multifactorial origin [1]. Asthma presents a complex and heterogeneous disorder with abnormal and inflamed airway mucosa and its incidence in children appears to have more than doubled in the last 50 years. This editorial will address some of the more recent research on the development of asthma in children, particularly in relation to low-level exposure to chemicals. Indoor environmental factors, accepted as associated with an increased risk of developing pediatric asthma, include exposure to environmental tobacco smoke [2]. Exposure to allergens, and particularly to house dust mites, has also been found to increase the risk of respiratory symptoms. Allergen-reduction studies are difficult to undertake, but even when successful, have not always shown an improvement in symptoms. It is of interest that Butland et al. [3] and Frosh et al. [4] identified synthetic pillows with chemical constituents, and not feather pillows, to be associated with asthma symptoms and rhinitis attacks. A prospective 4-year Norwegian cohort study further supported these findings in reporting that the use of feather bedding quilts did not increase the risk of asthma or allergic rhinitis [5]. The chemical constituents of plastics have also been found in household dust, and studies suggest that plasticizers may be related to allergic diseases in children [6].