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Principal Investigator: Roger Detels, M.D.
Division of Epidemiology
UCLA School of Public Health
30 May 1980
ARB Contract No. A6-216-30 (Full Report)
ABSTRACT
Frequency and severity of day-time symptoms, night-time symptoms and medication requirements among a group of
34 volunteers with asthma were correlated to levels of pollutants and pollens and to meteorologic characteristics
continuously recorded over a period of eight months, utilizing three analytic strategies: (A) Correlations between
several parameters of respiratory health and levels of sulfates were consistently noted among three of the 34 volunteers.
Significant correlations were also noted among several additional volunteers in one or more of the respiratory
health parameters. Levels of sulfates correlated to levels of total oxidants, carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen
but these correlations were not responsible for correlations observed between the respiratory parameters in volunteers
and sulfate levels. (B) The mean symptom and medication scores of panel members on days falling in the highest
and in the lowest tertile of all sulfate levels (>l0 pg/m3 a n d 6 pg/m3, respectively)
were compared. The same three volunteers showed significant increases in respiratory symptoms and medication usage
on days which were in the upper third of all sulfate levels. (C) In the final analysis, the number of days on which
the participant's symptom or medication score was above his/her mean was calculated for sulfate days above and
below 10 µg/m3, the upper tertile of all sulfate levels. The three consistent sulfate responders
all had significantly fewer symptoms and medication needs on days which were below the 10 pg/m3 sulfate
cut point. Although the number of individuals was necessarily small, the results of this longitudinal study suggest
that as many as 9% of asthmatics may be sensitive to levels of sulfate in the ambient air and that reduction of
sulfate levels to below 10 µg/m3 would significantly reduce the frequency of symptoms and needs
for medication in these individuals.
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