| Title: | "Essential oils, asthma, thunderstorms, and plant gases: a prospective study of respiratory response to ambient biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs)" |
| Address: | "School of Medicine, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1178-6965 (Print) 1178-6965 (Electronic) 1178-6965 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Purpose: Prevailing opinion is that wind-pollinated plants affect asthma negatively and that insect- pollinated ones do not. 'Thunderstorm' asthma, too, is attributed to bursting grass pollens. Additional biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) are identified here. Essential oils' BVOCs are inhaled from plants, oil diffusers, candles, room 'fresheners', perfumes, and hygiene products. Claims of BVOC 'safety' for sensitive respiratory systems are questioned. Methods: Fourteen volunteers, of mixed-age and gender, with seasonal asthma recorded peak expiratory flow (PEF) and 11 symptom scores. BVOCs were collected on Tenax tubes from ambient air in autumn and spring, as were live flower emissions, before and after a thunderstorm. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis identified frequently occurring BVOCs. Air spora, meteorological, outdoor air pollution variables, and BVOCs predict respiratory symptoms in univariate linear regression models, seasonally. Results: Increased pinene, camphor, linalool, linalyl acetate, benzaldehyde, and benzoic acid predict respiratory symptoms, including reduced PEF, and increased nasal congestion; day length, atmospheric pressure and temperature predict symptoms in both seasons, differently; other variables predict a range of symptoms (0.0001 |
| Keywords: | Bvoc Eucalyptus allergic rhinitis asthma essential oils terpenes; |
| Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINEGibbs, Jane Em eng New Zealand 2019/08/17 J Asthma Allergy. 2019 Jun 21; 12:169-182. doi: 10.2147/JAA.S193211. eCollection 2019" |
