Continuous in-home PM2.5 concentrations of smokers with and without a history of respiratory exacerbations in Iowa, during and after an air purifier intervention

Emma M Stapleton; Jacob E Simmering; Robert B Manges; Octav Chipara; Elizabeth A Stone; Joseph Zabner; Thomas M Peters; Ted Herman; Phil M Polgreen; Alejandro P Comellas

doi:10.1038/s41370-020-0235-1

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Continuous in-home PM2.5 concentrations of smokers with and without a history of respiratory exacerbations in Iowa, during and after an air purifier intervention

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Continuous in-home PM2.5 concentrations of smokers with and without a history of respiratory exacerbations in Iowa, during and after an air purifier intervention

Emma M Stapleton, Jacob E Simmering, Robert B Manges, Octav Chipara, Elizabeth A Stone, Joseph Zabner, Thomas M Peters, Ted Herman, Phil M Polgreen and Alejandro P Comellas

Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology, Vol.30(5), pp.778-784

09/2020

DOI: 10.1038/s41370-020-0235-1

PMCID: PMC7483738

PMID: 32461549

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/7483738View

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Abstract

Background: Americans spend most of their time indoors. Indoor particulate matter (PM) 2.5 µm and smaller (PM2.5) concentrations often exceed ambient concentrations. Therefore, we tested whether the use of an air purifying device (electrostatic precipitator, ESP) could reduce PM2.5 in homes of smokers with and without respiratory exacerbations, compared with baseline. Methods: We assessed PM2.5 concentrations in homes of subjects with and without a recent (≤3 years) history of respiratory exacerbation. We compared PM2.5 concentrations during 1 month of ESP use with those during 1 month without ESP use. Results: Our study included 19 subjects (53–80 years old), nine with a history of respiratory exacerbation. Geometric mean (GM) PM2.5 and median GM daily peak PM2.5 were significantly lower during ESP deployment compared with the equivalent time-period without the ESP (GSD = 0.50 and 0.37 µg/m3, respectively, p < 0.001). PM2.5 in homes of respiratory exacerbators tended (p < 0.14) to be higher than PM2.5 in homes of those without a history of respiratory exacerbation. Conclusions: Subjects with a history of respiratory exacerbation tended to have higher mean, median, and mean peak PM2.5 concentrations compared with homes of subjects without a history of exacerbations. The ESP intervention reduced in-home PM2.5 concentrations, demonstrating its utility in reducing indoor exposures. Novelty of study: Our work characterizes PM air pollution concentrations in homes of study subjects with and without respiratory exacerbations. We demonstrate that PM concentrations tend to be higher in homes of participants with respiratory exacerbations, and that the use of an inexpensive air purifier resulted in significantly lower daily average PM concentrations than when the purifier was not present. Our results provide a helpful intervention strategy for purifying indoor air and may be useful for susceptible populations.

Details

Title: Subtitle: Continuous in-home PM2.5 concentrations of smokers with and without a history of respiratory exacerbations in Iowa, during and after an air purifier intervention
Creators: Emma M Stapleton - Department of Internal Medicine, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Jacob E Simmering - Department of Internal Medicine, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Robert B Manges - Department of Internal Medicine, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Octav Chipara - Department of Computer Science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Elizabeth A Stone - Department of Chemistry, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Joseph Zabner - Department of Internal Medicine, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Thomas M Peters - Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Ted Herman - Department of Computer Science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Phil M Polgreen - Department of Internal Medicine, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Alejandro P Comellas - Department of Internal Medicine, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology, Vol.30(5), pp.778-784
DOI: 10.1038/s41370-020-0235-1
PMID: 32461549
PMCID: PMC7483738
NLM abbreviation: J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol
ISSN: 1559-0631
eISSN: 1559-064X
Language: English
Date published: 09/2020
Academic Unit: Infectious Diseases; Health Management and Policy; ICTS; Pharmacy Practice and Science; Injury Prevention Research Center; Chemical and Biochemical Engineering; Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine; Occupational and Environmental Health; Epidemiology; Computer Science; Chemistry; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9984066101102771

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