Nitrogen dioxide and respiratory illness in children. Part IV: Effects of housing and meteorologic factors on indoor nitrogen dioxide concentrations.

In a prospective study of infants' exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2)* and respiratory illness, NO2 concentrations were measured in more than 1,400 homes in Albequerque, NM, From January 1988 through June 1991 (Health Effects Institute Research Report Number 58, Parts I, II and III). This report characterizes the variability in indoor NO2 concentrations across seasons and years, and identifies factors associated with variation in concentrations between homes and across seasons. In regression analyses of winter data, NO2 levels in the infants' bedrooms were predominately determined by the presence of gas cooking ranges with continuously burning pilot lights, the presence of wall or floor furnaces, the use of the stove for space heating, and the square footage of the living space. These findings are consistent with previously published analysis of data from homes in other U.S. cities. Relatively small differences in seasonal NO2 levels were observed across years. The correlation coefficient (r) of bedroom NO2 levels obtained in the same homes was 0.66 over two winters and 0.48 over two summers. For homes that had gas cooking ranges with continuously burning pilot lights, the NO2 bedroom concentrations differed, on average, less than 5 parts per billion (ppb) across winters. These differences were hypothesized to be caused by differences in the use of indoor NO2 sources, ventilation, and ambient (outdoor) NO2 levels. We were, however, unable to demonstrate an association between year-to-year differences in seasonal indoor NO2 concentrations and reported use of cooking range, furnace, or heater, or ambient NO2 levels, or temperature.