Increased risk of respiratory and allergic diseases in preschoolers from building envelope dampness exposure: Repeated cross-sectional surveys in multicity China

Abstract

Building envelope dampness exposure is correlated with children's respiratory and allergic diseases. However, little research has compared the variation in the health impact of dampness exposure across multiple cities from a longitudinal perspective. A cross-sectional survey and a repeated one were conducted in children's residences in six cities: Chongqing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Changsha and Taiyuan, China, in 2010 (Phase I) and 2019 (Phase II). We selected 17,810 preschoolers during Phase I and 26,001 preschoolers during Phase II aged 3–6 years without changing residence since birth in the study. The proportion of residences with building envelope dampness exposure and the prevalence of respiratory and allergic diseases, except allergic rhinitis, in preschoolers significantly declined from Phase I to Phase II. Dampness exposure increased the risk for most childhood respiratory diseases in Phase II, with a 34% greater risk of lifetime-ever asthma in early residences and a 36% greater risk of current eczema in current residences. Most diseases showed a significantly positive exposure-response relationship to the cumulative period of building envelope dampness exposure (p < 0.05). The risk of developing current eczema was approximately 1.35 and 1.73 times higher in children exposed to both early and current dampness in Phase I and Phase II, respectively, than in children who had never been exposed. These findings provide new insights into the respiratory and allergic diseases in Chinese preschoolers because of building envelope dampness exposure over the last decade. The increased risk in Phase II raises concerns about the household's dampness environment.