Abstract
Exposure to particulate material produced as a result of increased agricultural activity may increase the number of pneumonia hospitalizations among children. We hope to contribute to the knowledge base through highlighting the environmental mechanisms involved in this outcome and optimizing pollutant control policies. To investigate the association between pneumonia hospitalizations among children and presence of environmental pollutants in a town in the Brazilian Legal Amazon region. Time series study conducted in the town of Tangará da Serra, Mato Grosso (MT), Brazil. A total of 158 children aged 0 to 10 years participated in the study. Data on environmental variables and pollutants were extracted daily through the Coupled Chemistry-Aerosol-Tracer Transport model coupled to Brazilian Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (CCATT-BRAMS). Meteorological data were provided by the Weather Forecasting and Climate Studies Center (CPTEC). There was greater frequency of pneumonia hospitalizations in the months of transition between the rainy and dry seasons, with a prevalence ratio 2.4 times higher than in other periods. For environmental pollutants, there was a significant positive correlation between particulate matter (PM2.5) and pneumonia hospitalizations (correlation 0.11), with more admissions on the days when PM2.5 levels were highest (averages of 6.6 µg/m3 when there were no admissions and 13.11 µg/m3 on days with two or more admissions). The higher the PM2.5 level was, the greater the frequency of hospitalizations also was. Children living in peripheral areas had higher prevalence of pneumonia hospitalizations in the dry period than those who were living in the town center.
Highlights
Air pollution is gaining increasing importance within the environmental scenario because it causes great risks to health, with higher risk of death and respiratory diseases among children.[1,2] In 2016, one out of every nine deaths among children was attributed to the effects of pollution, with a total of 7 million deaths worldwide.[3]Particulate matter (PM) is a mixture of solid and liquid components formed by a variety of compounds that depend on the emission source
Convenience sampling was performed among the children hospitalized at a public hospital who presented a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia that had been confirmed by a pediatrician. This diagnosis was verified by the researcher in loco with the pediatrician, though radiographs, laboratory tests and clinical examination. This sampling was done according to convenience because we investigated all the children hospitalized over a one-year period to confirm the diagnoses, identify geographical data relating to their homes and ascertain their health histories
A total of 158 children participated in the study; 121 (76.6%) had a diagnosis of bronchopneumonia; 82 (51.9%) were males and
Summary
Air pollution is gaining increasing importance within the environmental scenario because it causes great risks to health, with higher risk of death and respiratory diseases among children.[1,2] In 2016, one out of every nine deaths among children was attributed to the effects of pollution, with a total of 7 million deaths worldwide.[3]Particulate matter (PM) is a mixture of solid and liquid components formed by a variety of compounds that depend on the emission source. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the mean limit of acceptability of exposure for particulate matter of size smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) is a concentration of 25 μg/m3 for 24 hours.[4] Several mechanisms are involved in the respiratory disease caused by particulate matter, especially induction of pulmonary oxidative stress. This leads to overproduction of oxidative reaction, damaging the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and inducing inflammatory lesions and epigenetic disorders, thereby contributing to the development of diseases such pneumonia.[5,6,7,8]. Children living in peripheral areas had higher prevalence of pneumonia hospitalizations in the dry period than those who were living in the town center
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