Effect of radon exposure on asthma morbidity in the School Inner‐City Asthma study

Background Radon may have a role in obstructive lung disease outside its known carcinogenicity. Little is known about radon's effects on asthma morbidity. Objective To determine the effect of radon on fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO), asthma symptom‐days, and lung function in inner‐city asthmatic school children. Methods Two hundred ninety‐nine school‐aged asthmatic children enrolled in the School Inner‐City Asthma Study (SICAS‐1) were followed. One and two‐month averaged radon was assessed using a spatiotemporal model predicting zip code‐specific monthly exposures. FENO and spirometry were measured twice during the academic year. Asthma symptoms were assessed four times during the academic year. The interaction between indoor radon exposure (Bq/m3) and seasonality predicting log‐transformed FENO, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) % predicted, forced vital capacity (FVC) % predicted, FEV1/FVC, and asthma symptom‐days was evaluated. Results Participants with high radon exposure had greater change in FENO from warm to cold periods compared to low radon exposure (interaction p = 0.0013). Participants with >50th percentile radon exposure experience significant FENO increase from warm to cold weather ( β $\beta $ = 0.29 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.04–0.54], p = 0.0240). We report a positive association between radon 1‐month moving average (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.01, p = 0.0273) and 2‐month moving average (IRR = 1.01, p = 0.0286) with maximum asthma symptom‐days (n = 299, obs = 1167). Conclusions In asthmatic children, radon may be associated with increased asthma morbidity, suggesting radon may be a modifiable environmental risk factor for airway inflammation.