Indoor ultrafine particles and childhood asthma: exploring a potential public health concern

Exposure to airborne particulate matter has a negative effect on respiratory health in both children and adults. The ultrafine fraction of particulate air pollution is of particular interest because of its increased ability to cause oxidative stress and inflammation in the lungs. We reviewed the literature, and to date findings suggest that ultrafine particles (UFPs) may play an important role in triggering asthma symptoms. Furthermore, we believe that indoor UFP exposures may be particularly important because people spend the majority of their time indoors where sources of these contaminants are often present. While several epidemiological studies have examined the respiratory effects of ambient UFP exposures, the relationship between indoor UFP exposures and childhood asthma has yet to be examined in clinical or epidemiological studies. However, the portable instrumentation necessary to conduct such investigations is increasingly available, and we expect that this issue will be addressed in the near future. Therefore, the aim of this article is to provide a general review of UFP toxicity as related to childhood asthma in order to draw attention to a potentially important public health concern.