Abstract
The current study aimed at assessing the effects of exposure to Particulate Matter (PM) on the incidence of respiratory diseases in a sub-sample of participants in the longitudinal analytical epidemiological study in Pisa, Italy. Three hundred and five subjects living at the same address from 1991 to 2011 were included. Individual risk factors recorded during the 1991 survey were considered, and new cases of respiratory diseases were ascertained until 2011. Average PM10 and PM2.5 exposures (µg/m3, year 2011) were estimated at the residential address (1-km2 resolution) through a random forest machine learning approach, using a combination of satellite data and land use variables. Multivariable logistic regression with Firth’s correction was applied. The median (25th–75th percentile) exposure levels were 30.1 µg/m3 (29.9–30.7 µg/m3) for PM10 and 19.3 µg/m3 (18.9–19.4 µg/m3) for PM2.5. Incidences of rhinitis and chronic phlegm were associated with increasing PM2.5: OR = 2.25 (95% CI: 1.07, 4.98) per unit increase (p.u.i.) and OR = 4.17 (1.12, 18.71) p.u.i., respectively. Incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was associated with PM10: OR = 2.96 (1.50, 7.15) p.u.i. These results provide new insights into the long-term respiratory health effects of PM air pollution.
Highlights
A recent comprehensive review of what constitutes an adverse health effect of air pollution was jointly published by the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) [1]
Our study has provided new insights into the incidence of respiratory symptoms and diseases related to long-term exposure to air pollution in the city of Pisa, Italy
This study adds new evidence about the effects of long-term exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 on the incidence of rhinitis, chronic phlegm and ChronicObstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in adults living in an urban area
Summary
A recent comprehensive review of what constitutes an adverse health effect of air pollution was jointly published by the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) [1]. The adverse respiratory effects of air pollution span the life cycle and affect a wide range of illnesses: from symptoms like cough, sputum, wheeze, and dyspnea, to premature mortality. Morbidity, measured by hospital admissions, and prevalence, measured by the diagnoses of asthma and Chronic. Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), are all related to air pollution exposure [1]. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 2540; doi:10.3390/ijerph17072540 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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