Demographic characteristics and questionnaire-reported symptoms of participants who all lived close to the Eyjafjallajökull volcano (n=167)
| All | Men | Women | |
| N (%) | 83 (50) | 84 (50) | |
| Mean age±SD (years) | 52±17 | 54±18 | 50±17 |
| BMI±SD (kg/m2) | 30.0±7 | 29.1±5 | 30.8±8 |
| Smoking, n (%) | |||
| Never | 103 (62) | 53 (64) | 50 (60) |
| Former | 34 (20) | 18 (22) | 16 (19) |
| Current | 24 (14) | 11 (13) | 13 (14) |
| Self-reported asthma or COPD*, n (%) | 28 (17) | 10 (12) | 18 (21) |
| Respiratory symptoms, n (%) | |||
| Throat and upper airway irritation or dryness | 83 (50) | 35 (42) | 48 (57) |
| Cough | 58 (35) | 28 (34) | 30 (35) |
| Shortness of breath or tightness of chest | 43 (26) | 20 (24) | 23 (27) |
| Other symptoms, n (%) | |||
| Eye irritation | 41 (25) | 17 (20) | 24 (29) |
| Headaches | 15 (9) | 8 (10) | 7 (8) |
| Nausea and stomach aches | 12 (7) | 7 (8) | 5 (6) |
↵* As reported in questionnaires (‘Have you ever been diagnosed with asthma or COPD’).
BMI, body mass index; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.