Towards a better management of early-life exposures through the enhancement of the knowledge on air pollution in households

摘要

Exposure to air pollutants in early childhood can exacerbate the risk of development of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including respiratory disorders, cardiovascular diseases and cancer, throughout childhood and the entire life course. Since children younger than 3 years spend most of their time in indoor environments, particularly at home, exposures occurring indoors are expected to have an important contribution in the definition of the individual's "exposome". In this study, we aimed to assess the indoor air quality (IAQ) of households of newborn children in order to identity opportunities for promotion of childhood health. More than 300 parents of newborn children, from four public maternities located in the Porto Metropolitan Area, were invited to fill out a questionnaire to disclose data on potential air pollutant sources in their households. In addition, IAQ audits were conducted in 30 homes of participant families with twins aged 3 to 12 months. These included an extensive building survey and monitoring and sampling work for assessment of a comprehensive set of environmental parameters, including carbon monoxide (CO) and dioxide (CO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (03), aldehydes, ultrafine particles (UFP), PM2.5, PM10, volatile organic compounds (VOC) and airborne bacteria and fungi. The results of the analysis of each household were used to propose a list of recommendations and best practices to empower families to actively participate in the control of their own exposures at home. The initial outcomes show that the main concerns linked to early life exposures at home are related to emissions from use of household solid fuels, indoor tobacco, household cleaning products, fragranced consumer products (e.g. air fresheners, incense and candles), moisture-related pathologies, new furniture, recent remodeling/painting works and nearby traffic-related pollution sources. Overall, this work provides important insights to establish evidence-based educational/awareness campaigns to promote public health by creating healthy households for children.