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Barbara Kolarik,^1,2 Kiril Naydenov,^1,3 Malin Larsson,⁴ Carl-Gustaf Bornehag,^1,4,5 and Jan Sundell¹

¹Technical University of Denmark, Department of Mechanical Engineering, International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy, Lyngby, Denmark; ²Silesian University of Technology, Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Energy, Gliwice, Poland; ³Birch & Krogboe A/S, Virum, Denmark; ⁴Public Health Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden; ⁵SP-Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Boras, Sweden

Abstract
Background: Recent studies have identified associations between the concentration of phthalates in indoor dust and allergic symptoms in the airways, nose, and skin.

Objectives: Our goal was to investigate the associations between allergic symptoms in children and the concentration of phthalate esters in settled dust collected from children's homes in Sofia and Burgas, Bulgaria.

Methods: Dust samples from the child's bedroom were collected. A total of 102 children (2–7 years of age) had symptoms of wheezing, rhinitis, and/or eczema in preceding 12 months (cases) ,and 82 were nonsymptomatic (controls) . The dust samples were analyzed for their content of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) , diethyl phthalate (DEP) , di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) , butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP) , di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) , and di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP) .

Results: A higher concentration of DEHP was found in homes of case children than in those of controls (1.24 vs. 0.86 mg/g dust) . The concentration of DEHP was significantly associated with wheezing in the preceding 12 months (p = 0.035) as reported by parents. We found a dose–response relationship between DEHP concentration and case status and between DEHP concentration and wheezing in the preceding 12 months.

Conclusions: This study showsan association between concentration of DEHP in indoor dust and wheezing among preschool children in Bulgaria.

Key words: allergy, asthma, children, DEHP, phthalates. Environ Health Perspect 116:98–103 (2008) . doi:10.1289/ehp.10498 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 15 October 2007]

Address correspondence to B. Kolarik, Silesian University of Technology, Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Energy, ISE, OWiTO, Konarskiego 18, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland. Telephone: (004832) 237 23 95. Fax: (004832) 237 25 59. E-mail: bf@mek.dtu.dk

We gratefully acknowledge D.P. Wyon for revising the language.

This work was supported by the Danish Technical Research Council (STVF) as part of the research program of the International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy established at the Technical University of Denmark for 1998–2007. B.K. was additionally supported by the scholarship from International Visegrad Fund, Bratislava, Slovak Republic, for 2005–2006.

The authors declare they have no competing financial interests.

Received 24 May 2007 ; accepted 15 October 2007.