Inhaled formaldehyde exposure: effect on bronchial response to mite allergen in sensitized asthma patients

Abstract

Our study demonstrated that exposure to low levels of formaldehyde significantly enhanced bronchial responsiveness to mite allergen in mite-sensitized subjects with asthma.

Respiratory health and indoor air pollutants based on quantitative exposure assessments

“…These products are produced locally in target tissues as well as systemically and they lead to widespread pro-inflammatory effects remotely from the site of the damage. The other mechanism suggests interactions between allergen and pollutants [140]. Some pollutants, in particular, diesel exhaust particles (DEPs), nitrogen dioxide, ozone and sulfur dioxide, could enhance airway responses to inhaled allergens.…”

“…It has been shown that DEP, in synergy with allergens, could enhance allergen-specific IgE production by initiating a Th2 cytokine environment in the human upper respiratory mucosa. Recently, it has been shown that VOCs and formaldehyde could also have such interaction effects [133,140]. Only a few studies have evaluated the relationship between exposure to indoor pollution and asthma according to different phenotypes.…”

Adjuvant effects of gaseous formaldehyde on the hyper-responsiveness and inflammation in a mouse asthma model immunized by ovalbumin

“…Recent epidemiological studies have been conducted for investigating the interrelationship between FA exposure and asthma (Franklin et al, 2000;Youk et al, 2001;Rumchev et al, 2002;Gautrin et al, 2003;Vandenplas et al, 2004;Casset et al, 2006;Mi et al, 2006;Syamlal et al, 2009). Whether FA causes asthma is still under debate; there are only a few reports on FA and respiratory sensitization (Salthammer et al, 2010).…”

Quality of indoor residential air and health

“…38 However, in people with asthma and allergic sensitization to the dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, inhalation of 100 µ/m 3 formaldehyde for 30 minutes caused a significant increase in bronchial responsiveness to the mite. 39 Associations between residential or school exposure to formaldehyde and respiratory symptoms has been reported in observational epidemiologic studies. 40,41 In a study that included 298 children and 613 adults in Tucson, Arizona, Kryzanowski and colleagues 40 reported that physician-diagnosed asthma and bronchitis, but not respiratory symptoms, were associated with increasing concentrations of formaldehyde.…”