Everyday substances increase risk of allergies

“The study shows for the first time that the concentration of PGEs, propylene glycol and glycol ethers, in bedroom air was linked to an increased risk of developing asthma, hay fever, and eczema in children,” says Carl-Gustaf Bornehag, professor of public health science at Karlstad University and associated with the SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden.

“The increase in risk varied between 50 and 180 percent. It was also found that a higher concentration of PGEs in indoor air was associated with children evincing antibodies (IgE) against allergens such as cats, dogs, pollen. Our analyses also revealed that the use of water-based paint in the dwelling, as well as water-based cleansers, was linked to a higher concentration of PGEs in bedroom air.”

What does this mean?

In recent decades a huge number of chemicals have been introduced into our everyday environments. Such chemicals are primarily related to construction materials, paints, etc. and a great number of common consumer products such as cleansers, plastics, toys, cosmetics, and packaging.

“We have previously shown that phthalates from soft PVD could be tied to allergic conditions in children,” says Carl-Gustaf Bornehag. “Now we have focused on PGEs, which are a group of volatile organic compounds found in water-based indoor paints and cleansers, for example. Among the PGE substances identified are compounds suspected of disturbing hormones, which was also the case regarding the phthalates we studied earlier.”

“Our findings once again raise the question of the health-related aspects of the use of chemicals in our everyday lives,” says Carl-Gustaf Bornehag. “Particularly when it comes to exposure in our home environments, since small children and pregnant women spend a great deal of their time there and there are many indications that exposing fetuses and infants is probably more risky. Our current research is addressing this, that is, what does it entail in terms of chronic conditions later in life that we expose fetuses and infants to a great number of chemicals that are suspected of being toxic.”

The study comprised 198 preschool children with asthma and allergy and 202 healthy controls included in the Housing-Children-Health Study in the county of Värmland. Dwellings were examined by professional inspectors, and air samples were taken in the children’s bedrooms, where eight groups of volatile compounds were analyzed. The children were examined by physicians. Moreover, parents responded to a questionnaire about the family’s health, lifestyle, etc. The article is a result of a collaboration between Karlstad University and the Harvard School of Public Health in the U.S.

For more information please contact Carl-Gustaf Bornehag, professor of public health science, phone: +46 (0)54 700 2540 or mobile: +46 (0)70 586 6565, carl-gustaf.bornehag@kau.se.

Pressofficer: Carina Olsson; carina.olsson@kau.se; +46-54 054 700 2244

Media Contact

Carina Olsson idw

All latest news from the category: Health and Medicine

This subject area encompasses research and studies in the field of human medicine.

Among the wide-ranging list of topics covered here are anesthesiology, anatomy, surgery, human genetics, hygiene and environmental medicine, internal medicine, neurology, pharmacology, physiology, urology and dental medicine.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Lighting up the future

New multidisciplinary research from the University of St Andrews could lead to more efficient televisions, computer screens and lighting. Researchers at the Organic Semiconductor Centre in the School of Physics and…

Researchers crack sugarcane’s complex genetic code

Sweet success: Scientists created a highly accurate reference genome for one of the most important modern crops and found a rare example of how genes confer disease resistance in plants….

Evolution of the most powerful ocean current on Earth

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current plays an important part in global overturning circulation, the exchange of heat and CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere, and the stability of Antarctica’s ice sheets….

Partners & Sponsors