Indoor environmental factors associated with pulmonary function among adults in an acid rain-plagued city in Southwest China.

Abstract

To assess the association of indoor environmental risk factors with respiratory function among adults in an acid rain-plagued city in China where coal use is frequent. The subjects were randomly selected in the winter season. Information on selected home environmental factors was collected through administered questionnaires. Additionally, pulmonary function tests, including Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 s (FEV1), FEV1/FVC and Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) were also performed in participants. This study showed that, among avariety of risk factors, coal fuel use, cooking oil fumes and active and passive smoking exposure together with asthma in childhood were important factors for deterioration of pulmonary function among adults in the winter season (p< 0.05). Additionally, subjects whose kitchen was located in the living room or bedroom, who opened their windows only occasionally or never, who noted the presence of cooking oil fumes and pests, whose bedroom was shared by 3 or more residents and who kept pets tended to exhibit lower values of FVC, FEV1 and PEFR values compared with non-exposed counterparts (p< 0.05). This study demonstrated impaired pulmonary function among adults who were exposed to indoor risk factors, such as coal fires and cigarette smoking compared to non-users in the winter season and emphasizes the need for public health efforts to decrease exposure to indoor air pollution.