The Effects of Indoor Air Pollutants on the Lung Health of Asthmatic Patients

Environmental studies have consistently shown an association between air pollution and exacerbations of illness in people with respiratory diseases such as Asthma (Zhengmin, 2010). Asthma, a chronic disorder in over 160 million people causing one death every twenty seconds, involves the interaction of airflow obstruction, bronchial hyper-responsiveness, and inflammation (WHO, 2005). Medical practitioners currently attribute any degradation in lung health to pathophysiological factors, and routinely suggest expensive steroids and other inhaler treatments to alleviate respiratory disorders. The goal of my research is to uniquely quantify the effect of airborne pollutants on the degredation in lung health of asthmatic patients enabling targeted remediation that incorporates both pathophysiological and environmental factors.

It was hypothesized that the Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) rate of asthmatic subjects varies inversely with the concentration of each pollutant, including airborne particulate matter (PM10), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs). In Phase 1, over 100 subjects were recruited to participate in this study. Using scientific and HIPPA compliant methods, over 4 million air quality and PEFR readings. Based on the Pearson R Correlation coefficient, a strong inverse correlation was determined between the degradation in the PEFR and the PM10 and TVOC levels, but not between the CO2 and CO concentration levels.

In Phase 2, I developed a novel mathematical model and an interactive online application to quantify the percent what percent of a subject’s PEF degradation is caused by the levels of PM10 and TVOC in each subject’s environment. Medical practitioners and Environmental specialists alike could use my mathematical model as it provides a better estimate for the PEF rate and supports targeted remediation of indoor air quality. I have written a letter to the Chairman of the EPA and the U.S. President asking them to allow me to present my findings to them and discuss possible amendment to the Clean Air Act needs to include TVOCs as a criteria pollutant. Possible ideas for future research include engineering a smart thermostat that monitors air quality real-time and studying the effect of TVOC on the endothilial lining of our lungs.