PGE's Linked to Allergies and Asthma

In a recent scientific investigation of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) that were widely used in homes, PGE's or propylene glycol and glycol ethers, were linked to allergies. The study was done with studies on the air in the room of about 400 toddlers and babies. What they discovered, was that children who sleep within bedrooms containing PGE's (from water-based paints and solvents) were two to four times more likely to develop allergies or asthma.

The children in this study had noticeably worse conditions from allergies to eczema, and in severe cases even hormone damages. What's strange though was that the PGE's within the rooms were still at remarkably low concentrations. This was especially true when compared to the amounts inhaled by workers who suffer from throat irritation and breathing problems. Thus, to help validate their study they compared the concentrations to the degree of symptoms, and found a direct correlation, showing that as the concentration of the PGE's were increased, so to did the severity of the associated problems. PGE's were always known to have caused some problems, but were never linked until recently to allergies, and may play a role in the growing numbers of kids inflicted with such conditions. Unfortunately, no specific compound could be exactly identified, but they hope to help regulate the use of such chemicals, such as repainting rooms years before expecting children if possible.

I found this article to be incredibly interesting since I suffer from mild allergies. It's interesting to see how PGE's can actually harm a child's immune system even at such low concentrations. I hope to see later applications of this study into ways of reducing allergy inducing compounds.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=volatile-organic-compounds