Exposure to toxics during pregnancy and childhood and asthma in children: A pilot study

Environmental factors, pesticides, alcohol and smoking are linked to asthma in children. The association of toxic substances exposure with asthma has not been evaluated. Our objective is to assess such associations among children aged less than 16 years old. This is a cross-sectional study, conducted between January and May 2015, using a sample of Lebanese students from private schools in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. Out of 700 distributed questionnaires, 527 (75.2%) were returned to us. Verbal informed consent was also obtained from all parents prior to participating in the study. A significant association was found between waterpipe smoking and diagnosed asthma (p = 0.003; OR(a) = 13.25; 95% CI 2.472–71.026). Alcohol during pregnancy, waterpipe smoking during pregnancy and parents respiratory problems significantly increased the risk of respiratory problems by approximately 5 times, 6 times and 2 times respectively (p = 0.016; OR(a) = 4.889; 95% CI 1.339–17.844, p = 0.021; OR(a) = 6.083; 95% CI 1.314–28.172, p = 0.004; OR(a) = 1.748; 95% CI 1.197–2.554 respectively). Waterpipe smoking, alcohol during pregnancy, recurrent otitis and humidity at home seem to be significantly correlated with asthma in children. Spreading awareness by health care professionals is needed to permit a reduction of the prevalence of these allergic diseases, especially asthma, in children.