BACKGROUND Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) causes disease in nonsmokers. Workplace bans on smoking are interventions to reduce exposure to ETS to try to prevent harmful health effects. On March 29, 2004, the Irish government introduced the first national comprehensive legislation banning smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants. This study examines the impact of this legislat...

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to assess the correlation between childhood asthma and potential risk factors, especially exposure to indoor allergens, in a Native American population. METHODS A case-control study of St. Regis Mohawk tribe children ages 2-14 years, 25 diagnosed with asthma and 25 controls was conducted. Exposure was assessed based on a personal interview and measur...

Objectives Environmental pollution is a significant global issue. Both objective (scientifically measured) environmental pollution and perceived levels of pollution are important predictors of self-reported health. The purpose of this study was to compare the associations between perceived environmental pollution and health in China, Japan, and South Korea. Methods Data were obtained from the...

STUDY OBJECTIVE The Vesta project aims to assess the role of traffic related air pollution in the occurrence of childhood asthma. DESIGN AND SETTING Case-control study conducted in five French metropolitan areas between 1998 and 2000. A set of 217 pairs of matched 4 to 14 years old cases and controls were investigated. An index of lifelong exposure to traffic exhausts was constructed, using r...

BACKGROUND An association between wheeze (a symptom of asthma) and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), types of fuel used for residential heating or cooking and the frequency of trucks passing near homes, has been reported mainly in developed countries. Little is known about the strength of such associations in developing countries. This study was conducted in residential areas situated in Ekurh...

AIMS To investigate the association between air pollution, including with NO2, and recurrent wheezing during the first two years of life. METHODS A birth cohort (BAMSE) comprised 4089 children, for whom information on exposures, symptoms, and diseases was available from parental questionnaires at ages 2 months, and 1 and 2 years. NO2 was measured during four weeks in and outside the dwellings...

BACKGROUND/METHODS Current air pollution levels pose a threat to the health of children starting from conception. The scientific evidence is presented for mortality, morbidity, and sub-clinical effects. The first section deals with exposure data, the following sections with the evidence of health effects from epidemiology and toxicology leading to recommendations. RESULTS Improved air quality...

BACKGROUND The economic consequences of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) have been simulated using models. We examined the individual-level association between ETS exposure and medical costs among Japanese nonsmoking women. METHODS This population-based cohort study enrolled women aged 40 to 79 years living in a rural community. ETS exposure in homes at baseline was assessed with a self-admi...

To assess the association between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and lung cancer, the authors personally interviewed 292 lifelong nonsmoking lung cancer cases (recruited from 15 hospitals in the study area) and 1,338 nonsmoking controls (randomly selected by population registries) between 1990 and 1996 in Germany. Subjects were asked by a standardized questionnaire about exposure...

One hundred and ninety three children with asthma and 318 controls aged 1-4 years were evaluated for atopic heredity and exposure to possible indoor risk factors for asthma-for example exposure to furred pets, tobacco smoke, and home dampness. A subgroup of cases were classified as cat and/or dog allergic on the basis of skin prick tests. Heredity for asthma was a significant risk factor (odds ...