Christopher Zammit

Relationship between domestic smoking and metals and rare earth elements concentration in indoor PM2.5 - The Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality and Respiratory Health in Malta and Sicily

Abstract Cigarette smoke is the main source of indoor chemical and toxic elements. Cadmium (Cd), Thallium (Tl), Lead (Pb) and Antimony (Sb) are important contributors to smoke‐related health risks. Data on the association between Rare Earth Elements (REE) Cerium (Ce) and Lanthanum (La) and domestic smoking are scanty. To evaluate the relationship between cigarette smoke, indoor levels of PM2.5 and heavy metals, 73 children were investigated by parental questionnaire and skin prick tests. The houses of residence of 41 “cases” and 32 “controls” (children with and without respiratory symptoms, respectively) were evaluated by 48‐h PM2.5 indoor/outdoor monitoring. PM2.5 mass concentration was determined by gravimetry; the extracted and mineralized fractions of elements (As, Cd, Ce, La, Mn, Pb, Sb, Sr, Tl) were evaluated by ICP‐MS. PM2.5 and Ce, La, Cd, and Tl indoor concentrations were higher in smoker dwellings. When corrected for confounding factors, PM2.5, Ce, La, Cd, and Tl were associated with more likely presence of respiratory symptoms in adolescents. We found that: i) indoor smoking is associated with increased levels of PM2.5, Ce, La, Cd, and Tl and ii) the latter with increased presence of respiratory symptoms in children. Graphical abstract Figure. No Caption available. HighlightsTobacco smoke releases heavy metals (HM) and REE in indoor dwellings.Elemental content in indoor PM2.5 was measured in smoking and non smoking dwellings.Extracted and mineralized fractions of elements were evaluated by ICP‐MS.Indoor smoke was associated with increase of specific elemental fractions in PM2.5.Increased levels of HM and REE are associated with respiratory symptoms in children.

Sensitization to dust mite defines different phenotypes of asthma: A multicenter study

Indoor allergens are risk factors for asthma: Thus, the characterization of indoor air quality is important for studying environment–health relationships in children. In particular, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus is the dominant allergen for asthma. We cross‐sectionally investigated the relationships among respiratory symptoms and function, airway inflammation, allergen sensitization, and indoor allergen concentration.