Epidemiologic studies have suggested the association between environmental exposure to
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the increased risk of incurring
asthma. Yet there is little data regarding the relationship between personal exposure to air pollution and the incidence of
asthma in children. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of exposure to air pollution on children with
asthma by using exposure
biomarkers. We assessed the exposure level to VOCs by measuring urinary concentrations of
hippuric acid and
muconic acid, and PAHs by 1-OH
pyrene and
2-naphthol in 30 children with
asthma and 30 children without
asthma (control). The mean level of
hippuric acid was 0.158 +/- 0.169 micromol/mol
creatinine in the
asthma group and 0.148 +/- 0.249 micromol/mol
creatinine in the control group, with no statistical significance noted (p=0.30). The mean concentration of
muconic acid was higher in the
asthma group than in the control group (7.630 +/- 8.915 micromol/mol
creatinine vs. 3.390 +/- 4.526 micromol/mol
creatinine p=0.01). The mean level of urinary 1-OHP was higher in the
asthma group (0.430 +/- 0.343 micromol/mol
creatinine) than the control group (0.239 +/- 0.175 micromol/mol
creatinine), which was statistically significant (p=0.03). There was no difference in the mean concentration of
2-NAP between the two groups (9.864 +/- 10.037 micromol/mol in the
asthma group vs. 9.157 +/- 9.640 micromol/mol in the control group, p=0.96). In conclusion, this study suggests that VOCs and PAHs have some role in
asthma.