The Pollution Effects on Asthmatic Children in Europe (PEACE) study is a multicentre study of the acute effects of particles with a 50% cut-off aerodynamic diameter of 10 microm (PM10), black smoke (BS), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on the respiratory health of children with chronic respiratory symptoms. The study was conducted in the winter of 1993/1994 by 14 research centr...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Cat allergen concentrations higher than 8 μg/g in settled house dust, have been suggested to provoke exacerbation of allergic respiratory symptoms. However, whether the 8 μg/g of indoor cat allergen concentration is indeed the minimal exposure required for triggering the asthma related respiratory symptoms or the development of sensitization has not yet been confirmed. ...

BACKGROUND Two-thirds of complaints received by the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department in 1988 were related to poor air quality. In July 1990 legislation was implemented to reduce fuel sulphur levels. The intervention led to a reduction in respiratory symptoms and bronchial hyperresponsiveness of primary school children. The objectives of this study were to investigate the difference...

Numerous studies have observed health effects of particulate air pollution. Compared to early studies that focused on severe air pollution episodes, recent studies are more relevant to understanding health effects of pollution at levels common to contemporary cities in the developed world. We review recent epidemiologic studies that evaluated health effects of particulate air pollution and conc...

The aim of the study was to compare physician/patient differences in the perception of asthma. The data were obtained by questionnaires from 156 physicians and 148 asthmatics in four urban regions in Croatia. On a "bad day", 62% of physicians and 16% of patients perceived respiratory symptoms with statistically significant difference. The patients described asthma impact in terms of reduced dai...

BACKGROUND Although gastrointestinal (GI), respiratory, and dermal symptoms are common, few studies have conducted concurrent and comparative prospective analyses of risk factors for these 3 morbidity outcomes. METHODS We used data from a community-based randomized controlled trial among 277 South Australian families to analyze GI (diarrhea, vomiting), respiratory (sore throat, runny nose, co...

Thinness in infancy and higher childhood body mass index (BMI) are risk factors for poor respiratory health. However, few studies have examined the joint effects of birth outcomes and childhood BMI on the occurrence of respiratory symptoms. A total of 78,011 Taiwanese middle-school children were investigated between 1995 and 1996 in a nationwide International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Ch...

In Thailand, there is a growing concern regarding the possible effects of air pollution on the health of residents living near a petrochemical complex in Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate (MTPIE), Rayong Province, Thailand. We studied exposure to selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Map Ta Phut and the association between residing near the petrochemical complex and respiratory ailments. We...