Childhood respiratory illness and the home environment. I. Relations between nitrogen dioxide, temperature and relative humidity.

The relation between the use of gas for cooking, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), temperature and relative humidity was investigated in an urban area of northern England. In a pilot study conducted in a random sample of 40 homes measurements of temperature and relative humidity were not significantly different between homes with a gas cooker and homes with an electric cooker but weekly average levels of NO2 were higher in bedrooms (p less than 0.005) and living rooms (P less than 0.01) of gas homes. In the main study conducted in gas cooking homes only, access was gained to 183 (54.3%) of 337 randomly selected homes. No correlation was found in children's bedrooms between with weekly average level of NO2 (range 4.7 to 160.8 ppb) and weekly average temperature (ranged 7.7 to 22.0 degree C; r = 0.05, p greater than 0.10) or relative humidity (range 37.0 to 98.1%; r = 0.07, p greater than 0.10). Levels of NO2 in the bedroom were positively correlated with those in the living room (range 9.0 to 292.2 ppb; r = 0.39, p less than 0.01). Factors which tended to be associated with high levels of NO2 in the home included gas fires, paraffin heaters and use of the cooker for heating and drying clothes.