title: Formaldehyde exposure and lower respiratory infections in infants: findings from the PARIS cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Certain chemical pollutants can exacerbate lower respiratory tract infections (LRIs), a common childhood ailment. Although formaldehyde (FA) is one of the most common air pollutants found in indoor environments, its impact on infant health is uncertain.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to determine the impact of FA exposure on the LRI incidence during the first year of life of infants from the Pollution and Asthma Risk: an Infant Study (PARIS) birth cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  FA was measured in a random sample of 196 infants' dwellings, and exposure to this pollutant was estimated for 2,940 infants using predictive models based on measurements and data about potential determinants of FA levels. Health data were collected from parents by regular self-administered questionnaires. We used multivariate logistic regressions to estimate associations between FA exposure and the occurrence of LRI and wheezy LRI (wLRI), adjusting for potential confounders/risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the first year of life, 45.8% of infants had at least one LRI, and LRI occurred simultaneously with wheezing in 48.7% of cases. The FA predictive models correctly classified 70% of dwellings as having high or low exposure, and we estimated that 43.3% of infants were exposed throughout the first year to levels of FA > 19.5 µg/m3. FA exposure was significantly associated with LRI and wLRI before and after adjustment for known LRI risk factors/confounders. For an interquartile increase in FA levels (12.4 μg/m3), we estimated a 32% [95% confidence interval (CI): 11, 55] and 41% (95% CI: 14, 74) increase in the incidence of LRI and wLRI, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this study suggest that infants exposed to FA at an early age have an increased incidence of LRI.
authors.affiliation: Université Paris Descartes, Département Santé Publique et Biostatistiques - EA 4064, Laboratoire Santé Publique et Environnement, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Célina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roda
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kousignian
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guihenneuc-Jouyaux
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dassonville
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nicolis
authors.forename: Jocelyne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Just
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Momas
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D019540:Area Under Curve; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005557:Formaldehyde / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D010297:Paris / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D005557:Formaldehyde