A study on home dust samples showed "significant effects on PAH concentrations in house dust were found for gas heating, outdoor PAH concentrations, and residence age. Polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbons can activate cellular responses that increase and lead to chronic inflammation and are implicated in environmental illnesses like chemical sensitivity, asthma and even arthritis. Because these chemicals can act on pathways that involves genetic expression, different populations may be more susceptible to the effects including Native American derivation and those from Canadian Aboriginal populations, older populations, infants with underdeveloped detoxification systems and those with chronic diseases. More research needs to be done to better understand how methods for climate control such as home heating may have a negative effect on health and to further explore how different gene polymorphisms may effect overall health in response to them. Other environmental factors such as the levels of metals that are also present in environmental air pollution may combine to augment inflammatory reactions in different people. Common sources of air pollution include transportation and industry.
For further reading: Greenhouse Gases and Environmental Illness
Whitehead, T. et al. Determinants of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon levels in house dust. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology aop (2009). URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/jes.2to009.68.
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