Combination of Housing Conditions and Outdoor Pollution Increases Child Asthma Risk

TUESDAY, Feb. 10, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Children growing up in homes with water damage or dampness and who are exposed to higher levels of outdoor air pollution have a greater risk for developing asthma, according to a study published in the February issue of Environmental Epidemiology.Akihiro Shiroshita, from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, and colleagues assessed the independent effects of indoor home exposures and ambient particulate matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5) on early childhood asthma diagnosis. The analysis included 6,413 children (born between 1987 and 2016) participating in one of nine U.S. birth cohorts as part of the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes consortium.The researchers found that by age 5 years, 10.3 to 50.3 percent of children developed asthma across general- and high-risk cohorts. There was a significant detrimental association between PM2.5 and water damage/home dampness. Dogs in the home had a protective association against the risk for childhood asthma, regardless of PM2.5 adjustment. The combined effect of having both water damage/home dampness and high PM2.5 on the risk for asthma was higher than for no water damage/home dampness and having low PM2.5 (hazard ratio, 1.95). No significant associations were seen for household cats or dust mites."Our research shows that to truly understand and prevent childhood asthma, we need to look at a child's full environment -- both the air they breathe outside and the conditions inside their home," Shiroshita said in a statement. "Considering these factors together gives us a much clearer picture of what puts children at risk and how we can better protect them."Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Combination of Housing Conditions and Outdoor Pollution Increases Child Asthma Risk

Related Stories