Respiratory illness in households using gas and electricity for cooking: I. Survey of incidence

Abstract

A 12-month study was undertaken to determine the incidence of respiratory illness in households in a midwest upper-middle-class community. The sample included 441 families, divided into two groups; those utilizing gas and those utilizing electricity in cooking. Family health and demographic data were obtained from the participants. Reports of acute respiratory illness were obtained through biweekly telephone calls to each household. Respondents were asked to report respiratory illness in any member of the household, and to indicate the presence or absence of a set of signs and symptoms. Ambient air was analyzed indoors and outdoors in a sample of the households, and pulmonary function tests were conducted on a subsample of the participants representing both types of households. AID analysis and multiple regression were carried out to determine the predictors of respiratory illness incidence. Comparison was made with data obtained in a similar study in Long Island, New York. There was no evidence to suggest that cooking with gas is associated with an increase in respiratory disease or a decrease in pulmonary function (FVC and FEV-75).