WIP 86 - Determinants of Volatile Organic Compound Exposure among Children with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

Poster Number: WIP 86
Publication Number: WIP 86.2634

Background: Exposure to volatile organic compounds, a ubiquitous yet unregulated indoor air pollutant, is associated with respiratory morbidity in vulnerable populations such as children with asthma, but little is known about its role in children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

Objective: Characterize the relationship of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) with Environmental Protection Agency-regulated co-pollutants in homes of children with BPD.

Design/Methods: This investigation, comprising approximately 140 participants, is a substudy of the AERO-BPD prospective cohort of children ages 6-12 with a history of BPD with 7 days of indoor air monitoring of TVOC, fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2); socio-environmental exposure survey data; home environmental assessment; and dust collection by HEPA vacuum. We will examine associations between TVOC and PM2.5, NO2, temperature, humidity, season, and mold, combustion byproducts, secondhand smoke, chemical, pests, and inadequate ventilation in the home environment by linear mixed models. We will identify TVOC, PM2.5, and NO2 peak levels as local maxima above their respective mean levels and evaluate the likelihood of a concurrent TVOC peak given a peak in PM2.5 or NO2 by mixed effects logistic regression. All analyses will adjust for sociodemographic factors such as household income, child race, child ethnicity, primary caretaker education level, and childhood opportunity index, as exposure to PM2.5 and NO2 are likely to be differentially distributed across these factors. Participant enrollment is complete; quality assurance of collected data is underway; we anticipate completion of analyses by February 2024. This study has been approved by our Institutional Review Board. We anticipate our findings will lead to future work evaluating associations between TVOC and respiratory symptoms and lung function in children with BPD, and suggest avenues for exposure mitigation.