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Indoor and Built Environment
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Prevalence of Plastic Additives in Indoor Air related to Newly Diagnosed Asthma

K. Villberg

Halton Oy, Niittyvillankuja 4, FI-01510 Vantaa, Finland, kirsi.villberg{at}halton.com

H. Mussalo-Rauhamaa

State Provincial Office of Southern Finland, PO Box 110, FI-00521 Helsinki, Finland

T. Haahtela

Skin and Allergy Hospital, Helsinki University of Central Hospital, PO Box 160, FI-00029 HUCH, Helsinki, Finland

K. Saarela

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, PO Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Finland

This paper presents a correlation between the certain plastic additives and newly diagnosed asthma. We studied this association by measuring the plastic additives in the indoor air of the homes of presenting patients at the Skin and Allergy hospitals, including old and new, clinically diagnosed cases of asthma and controls. A total of 465 people filled in a questionnaire that probed, for example, health complaints, illnesses, and perceived conditions of their home environment. Asthma was diagnosed in 19 patients, and had earlier been found in 31 people. Compounds commonly used in plastic flooring manufacture were found to be more prevalent and in higher concentrations in the homes of subjects having newly diagnosed asthma. When the indoor air concentration of one plastic additive (2,2,4-trimethyl-1, 3-pentanediol di-isobutyrate) was 10 µg/m 3 or greater (in Toluene equivalent), the age and sex adjusted odds ratio of having new asthma was 2.844, 95% CI 1.035—7.813.

Key Words: 2,2,4-trimethyl-1 • 3-pentanediol di-isobutyrate • plastic additive • indoor air • newly diagnosed asthma

Indoor and Built Environment, Vol. 17, No. 5, 455-459 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1420326X08096413
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