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Determinants of Allergen Concentrations in Apartments of Asthmatic Children Living in Public Housing

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Abstract

There is growing evidence linking poor housing conditions and respiratory diseases, including asthma. The association between housing conditions and asthma in the inner city has been attributed in part to cockroach and mouse infestation and the resulting allergen exposures. Multiple social and behavioral factors can influence environmental exposures and health conditions, necessitating a thorough examination of such factors. As part of the Healthy Public Housing Initiative, we evaluated the association between physical and household characteristics and pest-related allergen levels in three public housing developments in Boston, MA. We detected cockroach allergens (Bla g 1 and Bla g 2) in bedroom air, bed, and especially high concentrations in kitchen samples. In multivariate Tobit regressions controlling for development and season, clutter and lack of cleanliness in the apartment were associated with a tenfold increase in Bla g 1 concentration in the air, a sevenfold increase in Bla g 1 and an eightfold increase in Bla g 2 concentrations in the bed, and an 11-fold increase in Bla g 2 in the kitchen (p<0.05 for all). Holes in the wall/ceiling were associated with a six- to 11-fold increase in kitchen cockroach allergen concentrations (p<0.05). Occupancy in an apartment unit of 2 years or more was also associated with increased cockroach allergen concentrations. In contrast, there were low concentrations of mouse urinary protein in this population. In conclusion, these results suggest that interventions in these homes should focus on reducing cockroach allergen concentrations and that building-wide interventions should be supplemented with targeted efforts focused on high-risk units.

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Abbreviations

HPHI:

Healthy Public Housing Initiative

ELISA:

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

MUP:

Mouse urinary protein

LLOD:

Lower limit of detection

NCICAS:

National Cooperative Inner-City Asthma Study

CCCEHS:

Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health Study

NSLAH:

National Survey of Lead and Allergen in Housing

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the Community Health Advocates and those who worked with them in data collection and outreach. In addition, we thank Jose Vallarino for his invaluable contributions to data collection efforts. We also thank Sharper Image for providing the air filtration equipment. Most importantly, we thank the families from the three public housing developments who participated in the study.

HPHI partners included Boston Housing Authority, Boston Public Health Commission, Boston University School of Public Health, Committee for Boston Public Housing, Franklin Hill Tenant Task Force, Inc., Harvard University School of Public Health, Peregrine Energy Group, Tufts University School of Medicine, Urban Habitat Initiatives, and West Broadway Tenant Task Force, Inc.

Funding for this study was received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Jessie B. Cox Family Trust, and The Boston Foundation. Full support for Dr. Peters was received from the NIEHS Training Grant #2T32HL07118-29 and Center Grant #P30 ES00002, and partial support for Dr. Rogers and Dr. Burge from Sharper Image Corporation was also received.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, P. O. Box 15697, Landmark Center East/Room 3-111-23, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Junenette L. Peters

Authors
  1. Junenette L. Peters
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  2. Jonathan I. Levy
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  3. Christine A. Rogers
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  4. Harriet A. Burge
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  5. John D. Spengler
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Junenette L. Peters.

Additional information

Peters, Levy, Rogers, Burge, and Spengler are with the Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Burge is also with the Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, San Bruno, CA, USA; Rogers is also with the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Morrill 1 N 239A Amherst, MA 01003, USA.

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Peters, J.L., Levy, J.I., Rogers, C.A. et al. Determinants of Allergen Concentrations in Apartments of Asthmatic Children Living in Public Housing. J Urban Health 84, 185–197 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-006-9146-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-006-9146-2

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