Indoor air quality in schools of a highly polluted south Mediterranean area.

This study aimed at surveying lower secondary schools in southern Italy, in a highly polluted area. A community close to an industrial area and three villages in rural areas was investigated. Indoor temperature, relative humidity (RH), gaseous pollutants (CO2 and NO2 ), selected biological pollutants in indoor dust, and the indoor/outdoor mass concentration and elemental composition of PM2.5 were ascertained. Temperature and RH were within, or close to, the comfort range, while CO2 frequently exceeded the threshold of 1000 ppm, indicating inadequate air exchange rate. In all the classrooms, median NO2 levels were above the WHO threshold value. Dermatophagoides p. allergen concentration was below the sensitizing threshold, while high endotoxin levels were detected in the classrooms, suggesting schools may produce significant risks of endotoxin exposure. Concentration and solubility of PM2.5 elements were used to identify the sources of indoor particles. Indoor concentration of most elements was higher than outdoors. Resuspension was responsible for the indoor increase in soil components. For elements from industrial emission (Cd, Co, Ni, Pb, Sb, Tl, V), the indoor concentration depended on penetration from the outside. For these elements, differences in rural vs industrial concentrations were found, suggesting industrial sources may influence indoor air quality nearby schools.

Relationship between domestic smoking and metals and rare earth elements concentration in indoor PM2.5.

Cigarette smoke is the main source of indoor chemical and toxic elements. Cadmium (Cd), Thallium (Tl), Lead (Pb) and Antimony (Sb) are important contributors to smoke-related health risks. Data on the association between Rare Earth Elements (REE) Cerium (Ce) and Lanthanum (La) and domestic smoking are scanty. To evaluate the relationship between cigarette smoke, indoor levels of PM2.5 and heavy metals, 73 children were investigated by parental questionnaire and skin prick tests. The houses of residence of 41 "cases" and 32 "controls" (children with and without respiratory symptoms, respectively) were evaluated by 48-h PM2.5 indoor/outdoor monitoring. PM2.5 mass concentration was determined by gravimetry; the extracted and mineralized fractions of elements (As, Cd, Ce, La, Mn, Pb, Sb, Sr, Tl) were evaluated by ICP-MS. PM2.5 and Ce, La, Cd, and Tl indoor concentrations were higher in smoker dwellings. When corrected for confounding factors, PM2.5, Ce, La, Cd, and Tl were associated with more likely presence of respiratory symptoms in adolescents. We found that: i) indoor smoking is associated with increased levels of PM2.5, Ce, La, Cd, and Tl and ii) the latter with increased presence of respiratory symptoms in children.

Sensitization to dust mite defines different phenotypes of asthma: A multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Indoor allergens are risk factors for asthma: Thus, the characterization of indoor air quality is important for studying environment-health relationships in children. In particular, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus is the dominant allergen for asthma. We cross-sectionally investigated the relationships among respiratory symptoms and function, airway inflammation, allergen sensitization, and indoor allergen concentration. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-two children aging 10-14 years and living in a Southern Mediterranean area were evaluated by parental questionnaires. Spirometry, exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), skin prick tests, total, and specific serum IgE analyses were performed along with the evaluation of home dust samples for the content in Der p 1 allergen. Three clusters were created on the basis of the presence/absence of wheeze in the last 12 months (Wh12m) and Der p 1-specific IgE level. RESULTS: Cluster 1 (Wh12m+/high Der p 1 IgE) presented higher FeNO and poorer pulmonary function (lower FEV1 and FEF25%-75% ), while its symptom score was not different from Cluster 2 (Wh12m+/low Der p 1 IgE). Cluster 3 (Wh12m-/low IgE) showed the lowest FeNO values and pulmonary function similar to Cluster 2. Within Cluster 1, both Der p 1-specific IgE and FeNO were positively correlated with dust Der p 1. CONCLUSIONS: Similar asthma phenotypes may occur in children despite differences in their atopic state. In atopic children, sensitizing allergens in the indoor environment may increase airway inflammation worsening pulmonary function. Moreover, environmental exposures may contribute to the development of asthma-like symptoms also in the absence of atopic sensitization, thus contributing to asthma overdiagnosis.

Measurements of projected areas of seated and standing people of southern Italy based on a statistical analysis.

One of the most important components affecting the human thermal balance is represented by its radiative exchange with the surrounding surfaces. The projected area of the human body is an important parameter of these thermal exchanges. Unfortunately, although the anthropometric measures of people are characterized by significant differences among various populations, the experimental data currently available in the literature refers to a small group of people. Moreover, measurements are generally performed regardless of the statistical significance of the involved subjects with respect to the population to which they belong. In this study, a statistical study is introduced that is based on a large analysis of the anthropometric characteristics of the analysed population. Moreover, a new experimental procedure is applied to evaluate the projected area factor and the effective radiating area of a sample of people belonging to the population of southern Italy. The calculated projected area factors are fairly in accordance with those originally proposed by Fanger for standing people. For seated people, however, the experimental values of the present study show some differences from those of the literature. This study provided a tentative explanation for these discrepancies.