Milken Institute School of Public Health Poster Presentations (Marvin Center & Video)
Poster Number
54
Document Type
Poster
Status
Graduate Student - Masters
Abstract Category
Environmental and Occupational Health
Keywords
air quality, PM2.5, asthma, school
Publication Date
Spring 2018
Abstract
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that puts a strain on lung function and breathing. It is the leading cause of school absenteeism and hospitalization for American children. Genetics play a major role in allergy related disease development such as asthma, but environmental exposures are proving to be a potential contributor to childhood asthma. Despite the sufficient data regarding air pollution, there is a huge knowledge gap regarding indoor air quality and its relationship with health outcomes such as asthma. Many of the studies available only look at outdoor air pollution levels, while children spend the majority of their time indoors. The majority of studies focus on particles smaller than 10 μm (Pm10). Studies show that the smaller particles (PM2.5, PM1) are more dangerous than larger ones however, because they can penetrate deeper in the lungs and are not as easily expelled at the nasal/ oral level. The health effects of PM2.5 exposure in schools still being explored and the ability to monitor these smaller particles is advancing only as fast as the detection technology. Children are a vulnerable population and are at a disadvantage in managing their own circumstance since they are told where to be and how long to be there, i.e. school and home. Research in this field needs to be drastically increased in order to better understand the relationship between schoolchildren’s respiratory health and their indoor environments.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Open Access
1
Included in
Environmental Public Health Commons, Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Commons, Respiratory Tract Diseases Commons
Systematic Literature Review of Indoor School Exposure to PM2.5 in Children
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that puts a strain on lung function and breathing. It is the leading cause of school absenteeism and hospitalization for American children. Genetics play a major role in allergy related disease development such as asthma, but environmental exposures are proving to be a potential contributor to childhood asthma. Despite the sufficient data regarding air pollution, there is a huge knowledge gap regarding indoor air quality and its relationship with health outcomes such as asthma. Many of the studies available only look at outdoor air pollution levels, while children spend the majority of their time indoors. The majority of studies focus on particles smaller than 10 μm (Pm10). Studies show that the smaller particles (PM2.5, PM1) are more dangerous than larger ones however, because they can penetrate deeper in the lungs and are not as easily expelled at the nasal/ oral level. The health effects of PM2.5 exposure in schools still being explored and the ability to monitor these smaller particles is advancing only as fast as the detection technology. Children are a vulnerable population and are at a disadvantage in managing their own circumstance since they are told where to be and how long to be there, i.e. school and home. Research in this field needs to be drastically increased in order to better understand the relationship between schoolchildren’s respiratory health and their indoor environments.
Comments
Presented at GW Annual Research Days 2018.