Young Children Building Antibodies to Cockroach and Mouse Proteins Face Environmental Health Risks
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY 
on 11.18.08
According to a study released by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health there’s reason to believe that the development of antibodies to cockroach and mouse proteins is associated with a greater risk for wheeze, hay fever, and eczema in preschool urban children as young as three years of age.
The study is the first to focus on the links between antibody responses to cockroach and mouse proteins and respiratory and allergic symptoms in such a young age group, and the implications for children who live in our inner cities where indoor air quality is often poor are truly significant.
The Center's prior research findings have shown that exposure to multiple environmental pollutants is associated with an increase in risk for asthma symptoms among children. And these latest findings contribute to a further understanding of how the environment impacts child health.
Perhaps not all that surprisingly, Rachel L. Miller, MD, the senior investigator on the study highlights “the importance of reducing exposure to cockroach and mouse allergens at a very early age for susceptible children.”
Unfortunately, poor indoor air quality is something that kids are often exposed to even on the way to and from school via your average school bus as we highlighted here on TreeHugger not so very long ago.
Via: EurekAlert!
More on Indoor Air Pollution
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Green Basics: Indoor Air Quality
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Throw in extra poor quality outside air from petrochemical pollution and it's not looking good at all.
We must start to look at the cumulative effects of different - normal! - pollution I suspect it will paint a significantly worse scenario...