INSERM, UMR S 707, EPAR, F-75012 Paris, France.
Environ Res. 2011 Apr;111(3):425-34. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2011.02.008.
Various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been related to respiratory health effects, but have generally been assessed individually without taking into account the fact that such pollutants are highly correlated to one other.
We investigated the effects of exposure to various VOC, and considered their combined effect on adult asthma and rhinitis.
A national cross-sectional representative survey conducted by the Indoor Air Quality Observatory objectively assessed 20 VOCs in 490 main dwellings in France. A standardized questionnaire determined the prevalence of asthma and rhinitis among 1012 inhabitants of the dwellings (≥ 15 years). Marginal models for binary outcome were used to relate VOCs exposure to asthma and rhinitis, controlling for potential confounders. A global score representing the number of VOCs in each dwelling with an elevated concentration (using the 3(rd) quartile value of the distribution as a threshold value) was then derived as a measure of the combined effect of VOCs. Specific scores were built using a similar approach, grouping VOCs by family.
Asthma (8.6%) was significantly associated with N-undecane and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene and rhinitis (38.3%) with ethylbenzene, trichloroethylene, m/p- and o-xylene. The global VOC score was associated with a significant risk of asthma and rhinitis (odds ratio (OR) of 1.40 and 1.22, respectively, for 5 additional VOCs with high exposure level). Both specific scores for aromatic hydrocarbons and aliphatic hydrocarbons were associated with a significantly risk of asthma (OR=1.12; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.24 and OR=1.41; 95% CI=1.03-1.93, respectively). The specific VOC score for halogenated hydrocarbons was associated with a significant risk of rhinitis (OR=1.28; 95% CI: 1.07-1.54).
We have shown that high concentrations of VOCs in homes were associated with an increasing prevalence of asthma and rhinitis in adults.
各种挥发性有机化合物（VOC）已与呼吸道健康影响有关，但通常是单独评估的，而没有考虑到这些污染物之间高度相关的事实。
我们研究了暴露于各种 VOC 对成人哮喘和鼻炎的影响，并考虑了它们的综合影响。
由室内空气质量观测站进行的全国性横断面代表性调查客观地评估了法国 490 个主要住宅中的 20 种 VOC。标准化问卷确定了这些住宅中 1012 名居民（≥ 15 岁）的哮喘和鼻炎患病率。使用边际模型对二元结果进行了分析，以控制潜在的混杂因素，研究了 VOC 暴露与哮喘和鼻炎的关系。然后，根据每种住宅中具有升高浓度的 VOC 数量（使用分布的第 3 四分位数值作为阈值）导出一个全球评分，作为 VOC 综合效应的衡量标准。使用类似的方法构建了特定评分，将 VOC 按族分组。
哮喘（8.6%）与正十一烷和 1,2,4-三甲基苯显著相关，鼻炎（38.3%）与乙苯、三氯乙烯、间/对-二甲苯和邻-二甲苯显著相关。全球 VOC 评分与哮喘和鼻炎的显著风险相关（暴露水平增加 5 种 VOC 时，哮喘和鼻炎的比值比（OR）分别为 1.40 和 1.22）。芳香烃和脂肪烃的特定评分均与哮喘的显著风险相关（OR=1.12；95%置信区间（CI）：1.01-1.24 和 OR=1.41；95%CI=1.03-1.93）。卤代烃的特定 VOC 评分与鼻炎的显著风险相关（OR=1.28；95%CI：1.07-1.54）。
我们表明，家中 VOC 浓度较高与成人哮喘和鼻炎的患病率增加有关。
