Environmental Allergens and Irritants in Schools: A Focus on Asthma
Abstract
ABSTRACT: As part of the Partners in School Asthma Management Program, environmental data were collected from 385 rooms in 60 elementary schools in southeast Texas, using an Environmental Observation Checklist and a Q‐TRAK Indoor Air Quality Monitor. Dust samples for allergen analysis were collected from floors, carpets, and area rugs in 80 classrooms in a subset of 20 schools. CO 2 levels >1,000 ppm were found in 86% of rooms; 69% had indoor humidity above recommended levels. Der p I dust mite allergen levels >2,000 ng/g were present in 20% of rooms, but only 2.5% of rooms had Der f I mite allergen levels exceeding recommended tolerances. Detectable levels of cockroach allergen (Bla g II) were found in all schools (median 5.5 ng/g), with 10% of rooms over the recommended threshold. Almost two‐thirds of classrooms had mold spore counts >10,000 col/g (median, 14,400 col/g; range, 2,000 – 52,000 col/g).
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Indoor air quality problems are associated with increased student absences.
“These indoor air quality problems have been associated with increased student absences.82–84,90”
From Critical connections: health and academics (2015) · cites this paper as [90]
Cites
Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality
Falih, M. (2019) · Cited by 1,995 · see citing works
Sporik, R., Holgate, S. T., Platts-Mills, T. A. E., & Cogswell, J. J. (1990) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejm199008233230802 · Cited by 1,648 · see citing works
Rosenstreich, D. L., Eggleston, P., Kattan, M., Baker, D., Slavin, R. G., Gergen, P., Mitchell, H., McNiff-Mortimer, K., Lynn, H., Ownby, D., et al. (1997) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejm199705083361904 · Cited by 1,380 · see citing works
Dust mite allergens and asthma: Report of a second international workshop
Platts‐Mills, T. A. E. (1992) · Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · doi:10.1016/0091-6749(92)90228-t · Cited by 621 · see citing works
Sears, M. R., Herbison, P., Holdaway, M. D., Hewitt, C. J., Flannery, E. M., & SILVA, P. A. (1989) · Clinical & Experimental Allergy · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2222.1989.tb02408.x · Cited by 597 · see citing works
House Dust Mite Allergens. A Major Risk Factor for Childhood Asthma in Australia
Peat, J. K., Tovey, E. R., Toelle, B. G., Haby, M. M., Gray, E. J., Mahmic, A., & Woolcock, A. J. (1996) · American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine · doi:10.1164/ajrccm.153.1.8542107 · Cited by 489 · see citing works
Indoor air quality and personal factors related to the sick building syndrome.
Norbäck, D., Michel, I., & Widström, J. (1990) · Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment & Health · doi:10.5271/sjweh.1808 · Cited by 269 · see citing works
Sporik, R. B., Ingram, J. M., Price, W., SUSSMAN, J. S., Honsinger, R. W., & Platts‐Mills, T. A. E. (1995) · American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine · doi:10.1164/ajrccm.151.5.7735590 · Cited by 249 · see citing works
Almqvist, C., Larsson, P. H., Egmar, A.-C., Hedrén, M., Malmberg, P., & Wickman, M. (1999) · Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · doi:10.1016/s0091-6749(99)70172-7 · Cited by 238 · see citing works
Chapman, M. D., Heymann, P. W., Wilkins, S. R., Brown, M. J., & Platts‐Mills, T. A. E. (1987) · Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · doi:10.1016/0091-6749(87)90128-x · Cited by 218 · see citing works
Pollart, S., Smith, T. F., Morris, E. C., Gelber, L. E., Platts-Mills, T., & Chapman, M. D. (1991) · Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · doi:10.1016/0091-6749(91)90009-d · Cited by 196 · see citing works
CUSTOVIC, A., GREEN, R., TAGGART, S. C. O., SMITH, A., PICKERING, C. A. C., CHAPMAN, M. D., & WOODCOCK, A. (1996) · Clinical & Experimental Allergy · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2222.1996.tb00521.x · Cited by 191 · see citing works
Antigenic Analysis of Household Dust Samples
Wood, R. A., Eggleston, P. A., Lind, P., Ingemann, L., Schwartz, B., Graveson, S., Terry, D., Wheeler, B., & Adkinson, N. F. (1988) · American Review of Respiratory Disease · doi:10.1164/ajrccm/137.2.358 · Cited by 187 · see citing works
The environment and asthma in U.S. inner cities.
Eggleston, P. A., Buckley, T. J., Breysse, P. N., Wills-Karp, M. A., Kleeberger, S. R., & Jaakkola, J. J. K. (1999) · Environmental Health Perspectives · doi:10.1289/ehp.99107s3439 · Cited by 178 · see citing works
Demonstration of Microorganisms and Dust in Schools and Offices
Gravesen, S., Larsen, L., Gyntelberg, F., et al. (1986) · Allergy · doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.1986.tb00337.x · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Platts‐Mills, T. A. E., Heymann, P. W., Chapman, M. D., et al. (1986) · Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · doi:10.1016/0091-6749(86)90024-2 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Dust from carpeted and smooth floors
Dybendal, T., Vik, H., & Elsayed, S. (1989) · Allergy · doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.1989.tb04171.x · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Asthma and domestic air quality
Jones, A. (1998) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/s0277-9536(98)00151-8 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Dust from carpeted and smooth floors
Dybendal, T., & Elsayed, S. (1994) · Allergy · doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.1994.tb02651.x · Cited by 52 · see citing works
House dust mite allergen levels in dust from schools with smooth and carpeted classroom floors
Zock, J., & Brunekreef, B. (1995) · Clinical & Experimental Allergy · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2222.1995.tb01093.x · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Cockroach extermination does not rapidly reduce allergen in settled dust
Williams, L. W., Reinfried, P., & Brenner, R. J. (1999) · Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · doi:10.1016/s0091-6749(99)70346-5 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
The rising trend in allergic illness: which environmental factors are important?
Peat, J. K. (1994) · Clinical & Experimental Allergy · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2222.1994.tb01802.x · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Peterson, E., Ownby, D., Kallenbach, L., & Johnson, C. C. (1999) · Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · doi:10.1016/s0091-6749(99)70378-7 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Allergens in school dust: II. Major mite (Der p I, Der f I) allergens in dust from Swedish schools
EINARSSON, R., Munir, A. K. M., & Dreborg, S. K. G. (1995) · Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · doi:10.1016/s0091-6749(95)70108-7 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Aeroallergen exposure in the elementary school setting.
Dungy, C. I., Pp, K., Gallup, J., & Galant, S. P. (1986) · PubMed · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Chapman, M. D., Heymann, P. W., Sutherland, W. M., et al. (2009) · International Archives of Allergy and Applied Immunology · doi:10.1159/000233774 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Asthma Triggers in the Elementary School Environment: A Pilot Study
Dautel, P., Whitehead, L., Tortolero, S. R., et al. (1999) · Journal of Asthma · doi:10.3109/02770909909055421 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Self-citationHow Asthma Friendly Is Your School?
Program, N. A. E. A. P. (1998) · Journal of School Health · doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.1998.tb06339.x · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Voute, P. D., Zock, J., Brunekreef, B., et al. (1994) · Allergy · doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.1994.tb02094.x · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Allergen Sensitization and Perennial Asthma
Platts‐Mills, T. A. E., & Squillace, S. P. (2009) · International Archives of Allergy and Immunology · doi:10.1159/000237514 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Diminished Air Quality and Health Problems in a Kansas City, Kansas, Elementary School
Neuberger, J. S., Newkirk, D. D., Cotter, J. L., et al. (1991) · Journal of School Health · doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.1991.tb05994.x · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Basch, C. E. (2011) · Journal of School Health · doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2011.00632.x · Cited by 521 · see citing works
The September epidemic of asthma exacerbations in children: A search for etiology
Johnston, N. W., Johnston, S. L., Duncan, J. M., Greene, J. M., Kebadze, T., Keith, P. K., Roy, M., Waserman, S., & Sears, M. R. (2005) · Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2004.09.025 · Cited by 343 · see citing works
Critical connections: health and academics
Michael, S. L., Merlo, C. L., Basch, C. E., Wentzel, K. R., & Wechsler, H. (2015) · Journal of School Health · doi:10.1111/josh.12309 · Cited by 222 · see citing works
Cockroach allergen biology and mitigation in the indoor environment
Gore, J. C., & Schal, C. (2007) · Annual Review of Entomology · doi:10.1146/annurev.ento.52.110405.091313 · Cited by 142 · see citing works
Indoor allergens in school and day care environments
Salo, P. M., Sever, M. L., & Zeldin, D. C. (2009) · Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2009.05.012 · Cited by 135 · see citing works
Asthma and the Achievement Gap Among Urban Minority Youth
Basch, C. E. (2011) · Journal of School Health · doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2011.00634.x · Cited by 88 · see citing works
- Authors
- Tortolero, S. R., Bartholomew, L. K., Tyrrell, S., Abramson, S. L., Sockrider, M. M., Markham, C. M., Whitehead, L. W., & Parcel, G. S.
- Affiliations
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (US)
- Baylor College of Medicine (US)
- Corresponding author
- Tortolero, Susan R.
- Bartholomew, L. Kay
- Tyrrell, Shellie
- Abramson, Stuart L.
- Sockrider, Marianna M.
- Markham, Christine M.
- Whitehead, Lawrence W.
- Parcel, Guy S.
- Venue
- Journal of School Health
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2002-01
- Volume
- 72
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 33-38
- ISSN
- 0022-4391 (ISSN-L)
- 1746-1561
- OpenAlex
- W1966795763
- Cited by
- 67
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 2.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of School Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (n01hr056079-006)
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (N01-HR-56079)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Asthma and respiratory diseases
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Occupational exposure and asthma
- Keywords
- indoor allergens, indoor air quality, house dust mite allergens, cockroach allergens, mold spores, carbon dioxide levels, indoor humidity, classroom dust, elementary school, asthma management
- MeSH terms
- Allergens, Asthma, Child, Environmental Monitoring, Floors and Floorcoverings, Humans, Irritants, Maximum Allowable Concentration, Schools, Texas, Prevalence, Air Pollution, Indoor, Epidemiological Monitoring
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
