Risto Ruotsalainen

Dampness and molds in day-care centers as an occupational health problem

To assess the occurrence of respiratory and other symptoms among workers in relation to dampness in day-care centers, a random sample of 30 day-care centers in the city of Espoo, Finland, was selected for the study. The study population consisted of 268 female day-care workers, who filled in a questionnaire. Dampness was found to be common: water damage had taken place in 70% of the centers, and workers perceived mold odor in 17% of them. Adjusted risk of work-related eye and respiratory symptoms was in general higher among the day-care workers exposed to both water damage and mold odor than among the unexposed. The prevalence of eye symptoms was statistically significantly higher. The results provide new evidence of the importance of dampness and mold problems in the work environment as determinants of respiratory and irritative symptoms.

Day-care centers and diarrhea: A public health perspective

OBJECTIVE To assess the relation between morbidity from acute diarrhea and the form of day care. STUDY DESIGN The design was a retrospective cohort study. The setting was the city of Espoo, an urban-suburban municipality in southern Finland with a population of 170,000. The study population comprised 2568 randomly selected children aged 1 to 7 years. The main outcome measure was the occurrence of diarrhea. RESULTS Children in day-care centers (DCCs) had an increased risk for acute diarrhea compared with children in home care. In the whole group of children in DCCs, the relative risk was 1.20 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08 to 1.34). The risk was greatest in 1- and 2-year-old children, for whom the estimated relative risks were 1.76 (95% CI, 1.28 to 2.43) and 1.56 (95% CI, 1.16 to 2.09), respectively. The proportion of diarrhea episodes attributable to DCC care in 1-year-old children was 49% (95% CI, 18% to 91%), in 2-year-old children 37% (95% CI, 11% to 73%), and in the whole group 17% (95% CI, 7% to 29%). The infection risk did not differ between children in home and family care. CONCLUSIONS The results provide quantitative evidence that the care in DCCs is a major determinant of acute diarrhea in children, whereas family day care does not increase the infection risk.

Exposure to animals and the risk of allergic asthma: a population-based cross-sectional study in Finnish and Russian children

BackgroundThere is little information on potential differences in animal exposure between Finland and Russia and particularly on the effects of animal exposure on asthma among Russian children. The aim of the study was to compare the pet and farm animal exposures and to assess the relations of pre- and postnatal animal exposures to the occurrence of allergic asthma in Finnish and Russian school children.MethodsWe conducted a population-based cross-sectional study in neighbour towns on either side of the Finnish-Russian border; Imatra in Finland and Svetogorsk in Russia. The study population consisted of 512 Finnish and 581 Russian school children aged 7–16 years (response rate 79%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) related to each exposure.ResultsCurrent indoor exposure to pets was more frequent among school children in Svetogorsk than in Imatra (67.5% vs. 56.0%, P < 0.001). Finnish children were exposed more frequently to dogs, whereas Russian children to cats during childhood and to farm animals during pregnancy and infancy. The risk of self-reported allergic asthma was inversely related to indoor dog keeping ever in Finland (adjusted OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.13, 0.95), whereas in Russia the risk of allergic asthma was increased in relation to combined indoor cat exposure during infancy and currently (4.56, 1.10, 18.91). The risk of asthma was elevated in relation to contact to farm animals during pregnancy (Finland: 1.95, 0.69, 5.50; Russia: 1.90, 0.70, 5.17) and early life (Finland: 2.05, 0.78, 5.40; Russia: 1.21, 0.39, 3.73).ConclusionExposure to pets and farm animals during childhood differed significantly between Finland and Russia. Our study provides evidence that early-life exposure to cats increases the risk of asthma whereas exposure to dogs is protective. Our findings suggest that intermittent fetal and early-life exposure to farm animals increases the risk of allergic asthma in urban children visiting farms.

Ventilation rate as a determinant of symptoms and perceived odors among workers in daycare centers

Abstract The objective of this study was to assess symptoms related to the sick building syndrome (SBS) and perceived odors among daycare workers, relative to ventilation rates in Finnish daycare centers. A random sample of 30 daycare centers in the city of Espoo was selected for the study. The study population consisted of 268 female nursing workers, who filled in a questionnaire inquiring about symptoms, perceived air quality, and their possible personal and environmental determinants. The response rate was 96%. The ventilation system in most of the daycare centers (63%) was mechanical supply and exhaust; the rest of the centers (37%) had mechanical exhaust only. The exhaust airflows in the childrens rooms varied remakably, ranging from 0 to 11 L/s per person (average 4.0 L/s per person). The air change rate varied from 0 to 5 m 3 /hm 3 (average 1.61/h). Though potential personal and environmental confounders were controlled, no consistent associations were observed between the magnitude of airflows or air change rate and the occurence of symptoms or unpleasant odors experienced by the workers. The results indicate that relatively low mehanical ventilation rates are not associated with SBS symptoms and unpleasant odors in conditions where the potential sources of odor are strong and air change is not totally dependent on mechanical ventilation (windows are openable).