Advertisement

Indoor Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds in Children: Health Risk Assessment in the Context of Physiological Development

  • Radoslaw Czernych
  • Artur J. BadydaEmail author
  • Grazyna Gałęzowska
  • Lidia Wolska
  • Pawel Zagożdżon
Chapter
First Online:
Part of the Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology book series (AEMB, volume 1021)

Abstract

Indoor air quality is strongly affected by the contamination of ambient air and that related to building and finishing materials and to human activity. Poor ventilation of closed spaces facilitates retention of greater quantity of pollutants. Infants and children are at particular risk of exposure to indoor air pollutants as they undergo rapid physiological and biochemical changes and demonstrate activity patterns unlike those in adults. Health risk assessment in children should be carried out with regard to children-specific factors, since these factors may constitute a source of errors. In this article we weigh up two different: Scenario 1 in which risk assessment was carried out in five age-groups (0–1, 2–3, 4–6, 7–11, and 12–16 years of age) and Scenario 2 encompassing only two age-groups (0–6 and 7–16 years of age). The findings indicate that data on carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects obtained by applying the second scenario were overestimated or averaged; either giving much reduced information that may lead to a false judgment on actual risk. This kind of fallacy is avoided when applying the age stratification into a greater number of groups for the health risk assessment in children.

Keywords

Children Exposure Health risk assessment Indoor air Volatile organic pollutants 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Ms. Jolanta Łubkowska and Dr. Renata Wiglusz for an invaluable help in making the resources of HIGMAT Central Data Base available. The study was supported by Grant 2011/01/N/NZ7/01547 from the National Science Center in Poland.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest in relation to this article.

References

  1. Albert RE (1989) Carcinogen risk assessment. Environ Health Perspect 81:103–105PubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  2. Billionnet C, Gay E, Kirchner S, Leynaert B, Annesi-Maesano I (2011) Quantitative assessments of indoor air pollution and respiratory health in a population-based sample of French dwellings. Environ Res 111(3):425–434CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  3. Brosselin P, Rudant J, Orsi L, Leverger G, Baruchel A, Bertrand Y, Nelken B, Robert A, Michel G, Margueritte G, Perel Y, Mechinaud F, Bordigoni P, Hémon D, Clavel J (2009) Acute childhood leukaemia and residence next to petrol stations and automotive repair garages: the ESCALE study (SFCE). Occup Environ Med 66(9):598–606CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  4. Coebergh JW, Pastore G, Gatta G, Corazziari I, Kamps W, EUROCARE Working Group (2001) Variation in survival of European children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, diagnosed in 1978-1992: the EUROCARE study. Eur J Cancer 37(6):687–694CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  5. Cohen Hubal EA, de Wet T, Du Toit L, Firestone MP, Ruchirawat M, van Engelen J, Vickers C (2014) Identifying important life stages for monitoring and assessing risks from exposures to environmental contaminants: results of a World Health Organization review. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 69(1):113–124CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  6. Crosignani P, Tittarelli A, Borgini A, Codazzi T, Rovelli A, Porro E, Contiero P, Bianchi N, Tagliabue G, Fissi R, Rossitto F, Berrino F (2004) Childhood leukemia and road traffic: a population-based case-control study. Int J Cancer 108(4):596–599CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  7. Davis JA, Gift JS, Zhao QJ (2011) Introduction to benchmark dose methods and U.S. EPA’s benchmark dose software (BMDS) version 2.1.1. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 254(2):181–191CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  8. Diez U, Kroessner T, Rehwagen M, Richter M, Wetzig H, Schulz R, Borte M, Metzner G, Krumbiegel P, Herbarth O (2000) Effects of indoor painting and smoking on airway symptoms in atopy risk children in the first year of life results of the LARS-study. Leipzig Allergy High-Risk Children Study. Int J Hyg Environ Health 203(1):23–28CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  9. Etzel RA (2007) Indoor and outdoor air pollution: tobacco smoke, moulds and diseases in infants and children. Int J Hyg Environ Health 210(5):611–616CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  10. FAO and WHO (2009) Principles and methods for the risk assessment of chemicals in food. Environmental Health Criteria 240; ISBN: 978 92 4 157240 8; Retrieved from http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/chemical-food/en/. Accessed 16 Feb 2017
  11. Franklin P, Dingle P, Stick S (2000) Raised exhaled nitric oxide in healthy children is associated with domestic formaldehyde levels. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 161(5):1757–1759CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  12. Garrett MH, Hooper MA, Hooper BM, Rayment PR, Abramson MJ (1999) Increased risk of allergy in children due to formaldehyde exposure in homes. Allergy 54(4):330–337CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  13. Gatta G, Capocaccia R, Stiller C, Kaatsch P, Berrino F, Terenziani M, EUROCARE Working Group (2005) Childhood cancer survival trends in Europe: a EUROCARE Working Group study. J Clin Oncol 23(16):3742–3751CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  14. Ginsberg G, Hattis D, Sonawane B (2004) Incorporating pharmacokinetic differences between children and adults in assessing children’s risks to environmental toxicants. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 198(2):164–183CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  15. Gouveia-Vigeant T, Tickner J (2003) Toxic chemicals and childhood cancer: a review of the evidence. A Publication of the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, University of Massachusetts LowellGoogle Scholar
  16. Gunier RB, Reynolds P, Metayer C, Hertz A, Rull RP, Buffler PA (2008) Passive air monitoring for a childhood leukemia study. Epidemiology 19(6):S267Google Scholar
  17. Guo H, Lee S, Chan L, Li W (2004) Risk assessment of exposure to volatile organic compounds in different indoor environments. Environ Res 94(1):57–66CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  18. Hänninen O, Vardoulakis S, Sarigiannis DA, Incecik S, Sokhi RS (2011) Focus on exposure to air pollution and related health impacts. Air Qual Atmos Health 4(3):159–160CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. Hoddinott KB, Lee AP (2000) The use of environmental risk assessment methodologies for an indoor air quality investigation. Chemosphere 41(1):77–84CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  20. IARC (1999) Monographs on The Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Volume 73: Chemicals That Cause Tumours of the Kidney or Urinary Bladder in Rodents and some other Substances. IARC, Lyon CEDEX 08, FranceGoogle Scholar
  21. Kaatsch P (2010) Epidemiology of childhood cancer. Cancer Treat Rev 36(4):277–285CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  22. Knox EG (2005) Childhood cancers and atmospheric carcinogens. J Epidemiol Community Health 59(2):101–105CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  23. Kyle AD, Woodruff TJ, Axelrad DA (2006) Integrated assessment of environment and health: America’s children and the environment. Environ Health Perspect 114(3):447–452CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  24. Lagidze L, Matchavariani L, Tsivtsivadze N, Khidasheli N, Paichadze N, Motsonelidze N, Vakhtangishvili M (2015) Medical aspects of atmosphere pollution in Tbilisi, Georgia. J Environ Biol 36 Spec No:101-106Google Scholar
  25. Landrigan PJ, Kimmel CA, Correa A, Eskenazi B (2004) Children’s health and the environment: public health issues and challenges for risk assessment. Environ Health Perspect 112(2):257–265CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  26. Lin GZ, Li L, Song YF, Zhou YX, Shen SQ, Ou CQ (2016) The impact of ambient air pollution on suicide mortality: a case-crossover study in Guangzhou, China. Environ Health 15(1):90; doi.org/10.1186/s12940-016-0177-1
  27. Luo D, Corey R, Propper R, Collins J, Komorniczak A, Davis M et al (2011) Comprehensive environmental impact assessment of exempt volatile organic compounds in California. Environ Sci Policy 14(6):585–593CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Qian Z, He Q, Kong L, Xu F, Wei F, Chapman RS, Chen W, Edwards RD, Bascom R (2007) Respiratory responses to diverse indoor combustion air pollution sources. Indoor Air 17(2):135–142CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  29. Remy S, Nawrot T, Fierens F, Petit P, Vanderstraeten P, Nemery B, Bouland C (2011) Health impact of urban air pollution in Belgium. Air Qual Atmos Health 4(3):243–246CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  30. Reynolds P, Von Behren J, Gunier RB, Goldberg DE, Hertz A, Smith DF (2003) Childhood cancer incidence rates and hazardous air pollutants in California: an exploratory analysis. Environ Health Perspect 111(4):663–668CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  31. Rumchev KB, Spickett JT, Bulsara MK, Phillips MR, Stick SM (2002) Domestic exposure to formaldehyde significantly increases the risk of asthma in young children. Eur Respir J 20(2):403–440CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  32. Rumchev K, Spickett J, Bulsara M, Phillips M, Stick S (2004) Association of domestic exposure to volatile organic compounds with asthma in young children. Thorax 59(9):746–751CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  33. Saenen ND, Provost EB, Viaene MK, Vanpoucke C, Lefebvre W, Vrijens K., Roels HA, Nawrot, T. S (2016) Recent versus chronic exposure to particulate matter air pollution in association with neurobehavioral performance in a panel study of primary schoolchildren. Environ Int 95:112-119Google Scholar
  34. Scheuplein R, Charnley G, Dourson M (2002) Differential sensitivity of children and adults to chemical toxicity. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 35(3):429–447CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  35. Selevan SG, Kimmel CA, Mendola P (2000) Identifying critical windows of exposure for children’s health. Environ Health Perspect 108:449–597CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  36. Sherriff A, Farrow A, Golding J, Henderson J (2005) Frequent use of chemical household products is associated with persistent wheezing in pre-school age children. Thorax 60(1):45–49CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  37. Stroop DM, Dietrich KN, Hunt AN, Suddendorf LR, Giangiacomo M (2002) Lead-based paint health risk assessment in dependent children living in military housing. Public Health Rep 117(5):446–452CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  38. Suk WA, Ahanchian H, Asante KA, Carpenter DO, Diaz-Barriga F, Ha EH, Huo X, King M, Ruchirawat M, da Silva ER, Sly L, Sly PD, Stein RT, van den Berg M, Zar H, Landrigan PJ (2016) Environmental pollution: an under-recognized threat to children’s health, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Environmental Health Perspectives 124(3):A41–A45. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1510517 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  39. US EPA (1989) Risk assessment guidance for superfund, Volume 1: Human health evaluation manual (Part A), Interim Final. Washington, DC. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/rags_a.pdf. Accessed 1 Feb 2017
  40. US EPA (1997) Exposure factors handbook (1997 Final Report). Washington, DC. Retrieved from https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=12464; Accessed 1 Feb 2017Google Scholar
  41. US EPA (2000) Supplementary Guidance for Conducting Health Risk Assessment of Chemical Mixtures. Risk Assessment Fourm. Retrieved from https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/risk/recordisplay.cfm?deid=20533. Accessed 1 Feb 2017
  42. US EPA (2002) Toxicological review of Benzene (Noncancer effects). Washington, DC. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/iris/basic-information-about-integrated-risk-information-system. Accessed 1 Feb 2017
  43. Wantke F, Demmer CM, Tappler P, Götz M, Jarisch R (1996) Exposure to gaseous formaldehyde induces IgE-mediated sensitization to formaldehyde in school-children. Clin Exp Allergy 26(3):276–280CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  44. Waters MD, Stack HF, Jackson MA (1999) Short-term tests for defining mutagenic carcinogens. IARC Sci Publ 146:499–536Google Scholar
  45. Wcisło E, Ioven D, Kucharski R, Szdzuj J (2002) Human health risk assessment case study: an abandoned metal smelter site in Poland. Chemosphere 47(5):507–515CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  46. Webster EM, Qian H, Mackay D, Christensen RD, Tietjen B, Zaleski R (2016) Modeling human exposure to indoor contaminants: external source to body tissues. Environ Sci Technol 50(16):8697–8704CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  47. Weng HH, Tsai SS, Chiu HF, Wu TN, Yang CY (2009) Childhood leukemia and traffic air pollution in Taiwan: petrol station density as an indicator. J Toxicol Environ Health A 72(2):83–87CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  48. Whitworth KW, Symanski E, Coker AL (2008) Childhood lymphohematopoietic cancer incidence and hazardous air pollutants in southeast Texas, 1995–2004. Environ Health Perspect 116(11):1576–1580CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  49. WHO (2010) WHO Human Health Risk Assessment Toolkit : Chemical Hazards. IPCS – International Programme on Chemical Safety. Harmonization Project Document No. 8. ISBN 978 92 4 154807 6. Retrieved from https://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2010/9789241548076_eng.pdf. Accessed 16 Feb 2017

Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  • Radoslaw Czernych
    • 1
  • Artur J. Badyda
    • 2
    Email author
  • Grazyna Gałęzowska
    • 3
  • Lidia Wolska
    • 3
  • Pawel Zagożdżon
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Faculty of MedicineGdansk Medical UniversityGdańskPoland
  2. 2.Department of Informatics and Environment Quality Research, Faculty of Building Services, Hydro- and Environmental EngineeringWarsaw University of TechnologyWarsawPoland
  3. 3.Department of Environmental Toxicology, Faculty of Health SciencesGdansk Medical UniversityGdańskPoland

Personalised recommendations

Cite chapter

Buy options