Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Sep;23(6):543-9.
doi: 10.1111/j.1399-3038.2012.01327.x. Epub 2012 Jun 6.

Allergens in urban schools and homes of children with asthma

Perdita Permaul  1 , Elaine Hoffman, Chunxia Fu, William Sheehan, Sachin Baxi, Jonathan Gaffin, Jeffrey Lane, Ann Bailey, Eva King, Martin Chapman, Diane Gold, Wanda Phipatanakul
Affiliations

Allergens in urban schools and homes of children with asthma

Perdita Permaul et al. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2012 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Most studies of indoor allergens have focused on the home environment. However, schools may be an important site of allergen exposure for children with asthma. We compared school allergen exposure to home exposure in a cohort of children with asthma. Correlations between settled dust and airborne allergen levels in classrooms were examined.

Methods: Settled dust and airborne samples from 12 inner-city schools were analyzed for indoor allergens using multiplex array technology (MARIA). School samples were linked to students with asthma enrolled in the School Inner-City Asthma Study (SICAS). Settled dust samples from students' bedrooms were analyzed similarly.

Results: From schools, 229 settled dust and 197 airborne samples were obtained. From homes, 118 settled dust samples were obtained. Linear mixed regression models of log-transformed variables showed significantly higher settled dust levels of mouse, cat and dog allergens in schools than homes (545% higher for Mus m 1, estimated absolute difference 0.55 μg/g, p < 0.0001; 198% higher for Fel d 1, estimated absolute difference 0.13 μg/g, p = 0.0033; and 144% higher for Can f 1, estimated absolute difference 0.05 μg/g, p = 0.0008). Airborne and settled dust Mus m 1 levels in classrooms were moderately correlated (r = 0.48; p < 0.0001). There were undetectable to very low levels of cockroach and dust mite allergens in both homes and schools.

Conclusion: Mouse allergen levels in schools were substantial. In general, cat and dog allergen levels were low, but detectable, and were higher in schools. Aerosolization of mouse allergen in classrooms may be a significant exposure for students. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of indoor allergen exposure in schools on asthma morbidity in students with asthma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Settled dust geometric mean levels of Can f 1, Fel d 1 and Mus m 1 in all samples (school vs home). T-tests were performed on logged values, *p=0.0002, **p=0.0013, ***p<0.0001.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scatter plot of levels of airborne Mus m 1 and settled dust Mus m 1 (N=180); r=0.48, P < 0.0001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. control cfd. Vital Signs: Asthma Prevalence, Disease Characteristics, and Self-Management Education --- United States, 2001–2009, 2011.

    1. Bryant-Stephens T. Asthma disparities in urban environments. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009;123:1199–1206. quiz 1207–1198. - PubMed
    1. Carlsten C, Ferguson A, Dimich-Ward H, Chan H, DyBuncio A, Rousseau R, Becker A, Chan-Yeung M. Association between endotoxin and mite allergen exposure with asthma and specific sensitization at age 7 in high-risk children. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2011;22:320–326. - PubMed
    1. Redline S, Gruchalla RS, Wolf RL, Yawn BP, Cartar L, Gan V, Nelson P, Wollan P. Development and validation of school-based asthma and allergy screening questionnaires in a 4-city study. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2004;93:36–48. - PubMed
    1. Phipatanakul W, Bailey A, Hoffman EB, Sheehan WJ, Lane JP, Baxi S, Rao D, Permaul P, Gaffin JM, Rogers CA, Muilenberg ML, Gold DR. The school inner-city asthma study: design, methods, and lessons learned. J Asthma. 2011;48:1007–1014. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types