Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Eur Respir J. 2013 Aug;42(2):314-22. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00084612. Epub 2012 Oct 25.
Several studies describe indoor pollutant exposure in homes and to a lesser extent in schools. Population studies that include both environments are sparse. This study aims to assess endotoxin levels in primary schools and homes of children. Endotoxin was also studied in relation to asthma and sensitisation. 10 schools with (index) and without (reference) dampness were selected, based on reports and inspections. Cases and controls were selected from 169 homes based on the presence or absence of asthma-like symptoms of children. Classroom and bedroom airborne settled dust was sampled using electrostatic dust fall collectors. Average endotoxin levels in schools ranged from 2178 to 6914 endotoxin units (EU)·m(-2) per week compared with 462-1285 EU·m(-2) per week in homes. After mutual adjustment for home and school endotoxin, school endotoxin was positively associated with nonatopic asthma (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.97-1.27), while no associations with endotoxin were found at home. The high endotoxin levels in schools compared with homes indicate that exposure at school can contribute considerably to environmental endotoxin exposure of children and teachers. Our results also suggest that endotoxin in schools may be associated with nonatopic asthmatic symptoms in pupils, although the results require reproduction because of the modest sample size.
几项研究描述了家庭和在较小程度上的学校内室内污染物暴露情况。包括这两种环境的人群研究很少。本研究旨在评估小学和儿童家庭中的内毒素水平。还研究了内毒素与哮喘和致敏之间的关系。根据报告和检查，选择了 10 所具有（指数）和不具有（参考）潮湿问题的学校。根据儿童是否存在类似哮喘的症状，从 169 所住宅中选择病例和对照。使用静电除尘器采集教室和卧室空气中的沉降灰尘样本。学校的平均内毒素水平为每周 2178 至 6914 内毒素单位（EU）·m(-2)，而家庭的内毒素水平为每周 462-1285 EU·m(-2)。在对家庭和学校内毒素进行相互调整后，学校内毒素与非过敏性哮喘呈正相关（OR 1.11，95% CI 0.97-1.27），而在家中未发现与内毒素有关。与家庭相比，学校内的高内毒素水平表明，在学校的暴露可能会大大增加儿童和教师的环境内毒素暴露。我们的结果还表明，学校内的内毒素可能与学生的非过敏性哮喘症状有关，但由于样本量较小，结果需要复制。
