The Effects of Indoor Pollution on Arizona Children

The respiratory health of a large group of Arizona school children who have been exposed to indoor pollutants--tobacco smoke and home cooking fumes--is reported. A significant relationship was found between parental smoking and symptoms of cough, wheeze, and sputum production. Also, children in homes where gas cooking fuel was used had higher rates of cough than children in homes where electricity was used. No differences in pulmonary function or yearly lung growth rates occurred among subjects grouped by exposure to tobacco smoke or cooking fuel. Thus, parental smoking and home cooking fuel affected cross-sectional respiratory symptom rates in a large group of Arizona school children. Study of pulmonary function, however, revealed no lung function or lung growth effects during 4 yr of study.