Evin J Howard1, Stephen J Vesper2, Barbara J Guthrie1, Carter R Petty3, Valeria A Ramdin1, William J Sheehan4, Jonathan M Gaffin5, Perdita Permaul6, Peggy S Lai7, Lisa M Bartnikas4, Amparito Cunningham8, Marissa Hauptman9, Diane R Gold10, Sachin N Baxi4, Wanda Phipatanakul11. 1. Bouvé College of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, Northeastern University, Boston, Mass. 2. US Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Cincinnati, Ohio. 3. Institutional Centers for Clinical and Translational Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass. 4. Division of Allergy and Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass. 5. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass; Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass. 6. Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Allergy and Immunology, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY. 7. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass; Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass. 8. Division of Allergy and Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass. 9. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass; Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass; Region 1 New England Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, Boston, Mass. 10. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Mass. 11. Division of Allergy and Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass. Electronic address: wanda.phipatanakul@childrens.harvard.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Asthma is among the most common chronic diseases of children in the United States (US). Mold exposures have been linked to asthma development and exacerbation. In homes, mold exposures have been quantified using the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI), and higher home ERMI values have been linked to occupant asthma. OBJECTIVE: In this analysis of the School Inner-City Asthma Study (SICAS), we aimed to evaluate the ERMI's applicability to measuring mold in schools compared with homes and to examine the prevalence of asthma in relationship to students' demographics and the physical characteristics of school buildings. METHODS: Northeastern US schools (n = 32) and homes (n = 33) were selected, and the 36 ERMI molds were quantified in a dust sample from each classroom (n = 114) or home. School building characteristics data were collected from SICAS. Asthma prevalence and student demographics data were obtained from government websites. Linear regression and mixed models were fit to assess the association of the current asthma prevalence and physical characteristics of the school, make-up of the student body, and the ERMI metric. RESULTS: Levels of outdoor group 2 molds were significantly (P < .01) greater in schools compared with homes. The presence of air-conditioning in school buildings correlated significantly (P = .02) with lower asthma prevalence. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of asthma in student bodies is associated with many factors in schools and homes.
BACKGROUND: Asthma is among the most common chronic diseases of children in the United States (US). Mold exposures have been linked to asthma development and exacerbation. In homes, mold exposures have been quantified using the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI), and higher home ERMI values have been linked to occupant asthma. OBJECTIVE: In this analysis of the School Inner-City Asthma Study (SICAS), we aimed to evaluate the ERMI's applicability to measuring mold in schools compared with homes and to examine the prevalence of asthma in relationship to students' demographics and the physical characteristics of school buildings. METHODS: Northeastern US schools (n = 32) and homes (n = 33) were selected, and the 36 ERMI molds were quantified in a dust sample from each classroom (n = 114) or home. School building characteristics data were collected from SICAS. Asthma prevalence and student demographics data were obtained from government websites. Linear regression and mixed models were fit to assess the association of the current asthma prevalence and physical characteristics of the school, make-up of the student body, and the ERMI metric. RESULTS: Levels of outdoor group 2 molds were significantly (P < .01) greater in schools compared with homes. The presence of air-conditioning in school buildings correlated significantly (P = .02) with lower asthma prevalence. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of asthma in student bodies is associated with many factors in schools and homes.
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Authors: José Jacobs; Alicia Borràs-Santos; Esmeralda Krop; Martin Täubel; Hanna Leppänen; Ulla Haverinen-Shaughnessy; Juha Pekkanen; Anne Hyvärinen; Gert Doekes; Jan-Paul Zock; Dick Heederik Journal: Occup Environ Med Date: 2014-07-17 Impact factor: 4.402
Authors: Sachin N Baxi; William J Sheehan; Joanne E Sordillo; Michael L Muilenberg; Christine A Rogers; Jonathan M Gaffin; Perdita Permaul; Peggy S Lai; Margee Louisias; Carter R Petty; Chunxia Fu; Diane R Gold; Wanda Phipatanakul Journal: Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol Date: 2019-03-20 Impact factor: 6.347