Particulate matter (PM) and contaminants attached to PM can increase the risk of respiratory diseases. However, the health risk assessment of chlorinated paraffins (CPs), an emerging pollutant occupying a high proportion of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in PM, remains scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the association between PM2.5-bound CPs and asthma, along with relative symptoms, in school-aged children and adolescents. A large sample size cross-sectional study (n = 131,304) was conducted in the Pearl River Delta (PRD). The results showed that increased quantiles of ∑CPs were associated with odds ratios (ORs) of 1.22 (95%CI: 1.20-1.25), 1.38 (95%CI: 1.35-1.41), 1.17 (95%CI: 1.15-1.19), 1.52 (95%CI: 1.48-1.56), 1.66 (95%CI: 1.61-1.71), and 1.33 (95%CI: 1.30-1.37) for ever diagnosed asthma, current asthma, wheeze, current wheeze, persistent phlegm, and persistent cough, respectively. Additionally, C11-, C12-SCCPs and C14-, C17-MCCPs contributed the most positive weight to the risk of asthma and relative symptoms. These findings provide cutting-edged evidence for the health risk assessment of CPs, which is crucial for developing effective CPs management strategy.
Keywords: Asthma; Chlorinated paraffin; Particulate matter; Persistent cough; Persistent phlegm; Wheeze.
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