HEPA filtration intervention in classrooms may improve some students' asthma.
J Asthma
; 60(3): 479-486, 2023 03.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35341426
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
The School Inner-City Asthma Intervention Study 2 (SICAS 2) tested interventions to reduce exposures in classrooms of students with asthma. The objective of this post-hoc analysis was limited to evaluating the effect of high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) filtration interventions on mold levels as quantified using the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) and the possible improvement in the students' asthma, as quantified by spirometry testing.METHODS:
Pre-intervention dust samples were collected at the beginning of the school year from classrooms and corresponding homes of students with asthma (n = 150). Follow-up dust samples were collected in the classrooms at the end of the HEPA or Sham intervention. For each dust sample, ERMI values and the Group 1 and Group 2 mold levels (components of the ERMI metric) were quantified. In addition, each student's lung function was evaluated by spirometry testing, specifically the percentage predicted forced expiratory volume at 1 sec (FEV1%), before and at the end of the intervention.RESULTS:
For those students with a higher Group 1 mold level in their pre-intervention classroom than home (n = 94), the FEV1% results for those students was significantly (p < 0.05) inversely correlated with the Group 1 level in their classrooms. After the HEPA intervention, the average Group 1 and ERMI values were significantly lowered, and the average FEV1% test results significantly increased by an average of 4.22% for students in HEPA compared to Sham classrooms.CONCLUSIONS:
HEPA intervention in classrooms reduced Group 1 and ERMI values, which corresponded to improvements in the students' FEV1% test results.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Asma
/
Poluição do Ar em Ambientes Fechados
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Asthma
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos