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  • Original Article
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Respiratory symptoms and peak expiratory flow in children with asthma in relation to volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath and ambient air

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 13, pages 348–363 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been associated with asthma, but there is little epidemiologic work on ambient exposures, and no data on relationships between respiratory health and exhaled breath VOCs, which is a biomarker of VOC exposure. We recruited 26 Hispanic children with mild asthma in a Los Angeles community with high VOC levels near major freeways and trucking routes. Two dropped out, three had invalid peak expiratory flow (PEF) or breath VOC data, leaving 21. Children filled out symptom diaries and performed PEF maneuvers daily, November 1999–January 2000. We aimed to collect breath VOC samples on asthma episode and baseline symptom-free days, but six subjects only gave samples on symptom-free days. We analyzed 106 breath samples by GC–MS. Eight VOCs were quantifiable in >75% of breath samples (benzene, methylene chloride, styrene, tetrachloroethylene, toluene, m,p-xylene, o-xylene, and p-dichlorobenzene). Generalized estimating equation and mixed linear regression models for VOC exposure–response relationships controlled for temperature and respiratory infections. We found marginally positive associations between bothersome or more severe asthma symptoms and same day breath concentrations of benzene [odds ratio (OR) 2.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80, 5.11] but not other breath VOCs. Ambient petroleum-related VOCs measured on the same person-days as breath VOCs showed notably stronger associations with symptoms, including toluene, m,p-xylene, o-xylene, and benzene (OR 5.93, 95% CI 1.64, 21.4). On breath sample days, symptoms were also associated with 1-h ambient NO2, OR 8.13 (1.52, 43.4), and SO2, OR 2.36 (1.16, 4.81). Consistent inverse relationships were found between evening PEF and the same ambient VOCs, NO2, and SO2. There were no associations with O3. Given the high traffic density of the region, stronger associations for ambient than for breath VOCs suggest that ambient VOC measurements were better markers for daily exposure to combustion-related compounds thought to be causally related to acute asthma. Alternatively, the low sample size of symptom responses (15–21 responses per 108 breath samples) may have led to the nonsignificant results for breath VOCs.

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Acknowledgements

We thank our research assistants at the Epidemiology Division, UCI (Josh Floro Victor Gastaña; and Greg Warner), at the Los Amigos Research and Education Institute (Marisela Avila, Kenneth W. Clark, Sheryl Terrell, and Lester Terrell), and at the Research Triangle Institute (J. Liu and W. Shi). We also thank staff at the South Coast Air Quality Management District for providing stationary site data for air pollutants (Mel Zeldin and Rudy Eden). We also thank Dane Westerdahl and Shankar Prasad at the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for their helpful comments during the development of the protocol. This project was cofunded by CARB contract no. 99-302 to the Epidemiology Division, Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, and by the South Coast Air Quality Management District contract no. 990994 to the Los Amigos Research and Education Institute. Dr. Gong was supported by NIEHS #1P01 ES09581-01 and US EPA#R826708-01-0.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Epidemiology Division, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, 92697, California, USA

    Ralph J Delfino

  2. Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, and Environmental Health Service, Los Amigos Research and Education Institute, Downey, 90242, California, USA

    Henry Gong & William S Linn

  3. Analytical and Chemical Sciences, and Exposure Analysis Research Program, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, 27709, North Carolina, USA

    Ye Hu & Edo D Pellizzari

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  1. Ralph J Delfino
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Correspondence to Ralph J Delfino.

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Delfino, R., Gong, H., Linn, W. et al. Respiratory symptoms and peak expiratory flow in children with asthma in relation to volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath and ambient air. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 13, 348–363 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500287

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