Interior surface materials in the home and the development of bronchial obstruction in young children in Oslo, Norway

Abstract

Objectives: This study assessed the role of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics and textile materials in the home in the development of bronchial obstruction during the first 2 years of life.

Methods: The study was a matched pair case-control study based on a cohort of 3754 newborns in Oslo in 1992 and 1993 who were followed up for 2 years. The case group consisted of 251 children with bronchial obstruction; the control group was matched one-to-one for date of birth.

Results: In conditional logistic regression analysis, the risk of bronchial obstruction was related to the presence of PVC flooring (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.89; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.14, 3.14) and textile wall materials (adjusted OR = 1.58; 95% CI = 0.98, 2.54). The reference category was wood or parquet flooring and painted walls and ceiling. Further analysis revealed an exposure-response relationship between the assessed amount of PVC and other plasticizer-containing surface materials and the risk of bronchial obstruction.

Conclusions: This study provides new evidence of the role of PVC and textile wall materials in the development of bronchial obstruction in young children.