Dose–response curves for co-exposure inhalation challenges with ozone and pollen allergen

What is it about?

Exposure to ozone and pollen can elicit increased reactions in allergic patients, and a recent study pointed to high concentrations of ozone and pollen coinciding. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of simultaneous exposure of ozone and pollen on the lung function in allergic participants. In a human exposure chamber, 36 pollen allergic participants inhaled grass or birch allergen, either simultaneous with 120 ppb of ozone, or with clean air. In order to evaluate differences between exposures, dose-response profiles were modelled by a non-linear model to estimate the dose eliciting a 20% drop in lung function. The model showed a good fit to data and dose-response profiles for both grass and birch were calculated. We found no statistical significant effect of co-exposure to ozone on the modelled dose eliciting a 20% drop in lung function, or on the shape and magnitude of the dose-response profiles. Our study does not support that co-exposure to naturally occurring levels of ozone exacerbates the effect of pollen allergens. This study illustrates a new method to model dose-response-curves for allergen exposure.

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