Prevalence of plastic additives in indoor air related to newly diagnosed asthma

This paper presents a correlation between the certain plastic additives and newly diagnosed asthma. We studied this association by measuring the plastic additives in the indoor air of the homes of presenting patients at the Skin and Allergy hospitals, including old and new, clinically diagnosed cases of asthma and controls. A total of 465 people filled in a questionnaire that probed, for example, health complaints, illnesses, and perceived conditions of their home environment. Asthma was diagnosed in 19 patients, and had earlier been found in 31 people. Compounds commonly used in plastic flooring manufacture were found to be more prevalent and in higher concentrations in the homes of subjects having newly diagnosed asthma. When the indoor air concentration of one plastic additive (2,2,4-trimethyl-1, 3-pentanediol di-isobutyrate) was 10 mu g/m(3) or greater (in Toluene equivalent), the age and sex adjusted odds ratio of having new asthma was 2.844, 95% CI 1.035-7.813.