Effects of indoor pollutants on respiratory symptoms and lung function of a general population sample in North Italy

The paper reports on the analysis of the first large scale epidemiological survey in Italy, originally planned to assess the health effects of outdoor air pollution from a large oil-burning central power plant. The objective was to evaluate if the fuel for cooking or heating, and the type of heating are associated to an increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms or impaired lung function. Results confirm the moderate adverse health effects. The effects were more evident on respiratory symptoms (prevalence rates) than on impaired lung function. This was previously reported in North Europe and in USA. In addition, the results also point out some different effects deriving from different appliances, and indicate that even the type of heating may be associated with respiratory effects.