A Study of the Relationship Between Total IgE in Serum of School Children and Types of Heaters

A survey of respiratory symptoms and housing environments using ATS-DLD questionnaires (published by the Environment Agency of Japan) and measurement of Total IgE in serum according to the PRIST method was carried out from June to July, 1984 among elementary school children (766) in Suginami Ward, Tokyo. The relationship between allergic histories or housing environments (types of heaters, house structure type, use of carpets, raising of pets in the rooms, smoking habits of their mothers) of the children and the positive (300U/ml or more) proportion of their Total IgE was studied. The following results were obtained.1. The proportion of positive Total IgE was higher for the group with allergic histories than for the group without them.2. The proportion of positive Total IgE by heating apparatus revealed that the air conditioning group showed higher values than the group using stoves with or without chimneys, or the non-air conditioning group.3. As for the group with allergic histories, the proportion of positive Total IgE was higher for the air conditioning group and the clean type group than for the group of stoves without chimneys.4. The proportion of positive Total IgE was higher in cases of overlapping of air conditioning with carpets in the bedrooms, raising of pets in the rooms or smoking mothers than otherwise.Therefore, it is desirable in the use of air conditioners not only to remove the carpets from the bedrooms and to refrain from raising pets and smoking in the rooms, but also to frequently clean the air conditioner's filter and radiator.