Term Effects Of Air Pollution Research Articles

Respiratory diseases in children and outdoor air pollution in São Paulo, Brazil: a time series analysis

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the short term effects of air pollution on the respiratory morbidity of children living in São Paulo, Brazil, one of the largest cities in the developing world.METHODSDaily counts...

Short-term associations between outdoor air pollution and mortality in London 1992-4.

OBJECTIVES: A previous study of the short term effects of air pollution in London from April 1987 to March 1992 found associations between all cause mortality and black smoke and...

Short term effect of air pollution on mortality in Polish urban populations--what is different?

To assess, within the multinational European Community funded APHEA project, the relationship between daily ambient air pollution with sulphur dioxide (SO2) and black smoke (BS) and the daily number of deaths from all causes except external, from cardiovascular diseases, and from respiratory diseases taking into account several possible confounding factors. Time series analysis with the application of Poisson regression to the counts of daily number of deaths from selected causes over several years. Data were obtained from the computer files of individual death records in four Polish cities. Criteria developed for all the centres participating in the project were applied to the process of model building. Four Polish cities - Cracow (period 1977-89), Lodz (1977-90), Poznan (1983-90), and Wroclaw (1979-89). Permanent residents of the cities who died in a city of residence or in a surrounding region during the study period. There were significant positive associations between mortality from all causes excluding external ones and SO2 and BS in Cracow and in Lodz and between mortality from cardiovascular diseases and SO2 in Cracow alone. In other cities the association was either non-significant or significant but in the opposite direction. No significant positive association was found between respiratory deaths and these pollutants. Short term effect of air pollution on mortality in Polish urban population cannot be ignored. However, differences observed between the cities suggest that the association may be not so straightforward and therefore there is a need of further studies to identify additional factors that may modify and confound the association.

Short term effects of air pollution on mortality in the city of Lyon, France, 1985-90.

The short term association between daily mortality and ambient air pollution in the city of Lyon, France (population, 410,000) between 1985 and 1990 was assessed using time series analysis. This study followed the standardised design and statistical analysis (Poisson regression) that characterise the APHEA project. Four categories of cause of death were studied: total (minus external causes), respiratory, cardiovascular, and digestive causes (as a control condition). No association was found with any cause of death for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3), nor, for any pollutant, for digestive conditions. Sulphur dioxide (SO2) and, to a much lesser degree, suspended particles (PM13), were significantly related to mortality from respiratory and cardiovascular conditions. The relative risk (RR) of respiratory deaths associated with a 50 micrograms/m3 increment of mean daily SO2 over the whole period was 1.22 (95% CI 1.05, 1.40); the RR for cardiovascular deaths was 1.54 (1.22, 1.96). The corresponding RRs for PM13 were 1.04 (1.00, 1.09) for respiratory mortality and 1.04 (0.99, 1.10) for cardiovascular deaths. The effects of particulates were slightly increased during the cold season. When particulates concentrations were greater than 60 micrograms/m3, the joint SO2 effect was increased, suggesting some interaction between the two pollution indicators. These results agree with other studies showing an association between particulate pollution and daily mortality; however, they also suggest the noxious effect of SO2.

Short term effects of air pollution on emergency hospital admissions for respiratory disease: results of the APHEA project in two major cities in The Netherlands, 1977-89.

To assess the short term relationship between air pollution and the daily number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory disease. Data were analysed using autoregressive Poisson regression allowing for overdispersion and controlling for possible confounding factors such as seasonal and other chronological variables, meteorological factors, and influenza epidemics. The two major cities in The Netherlands-Amsterdam (694,700 inhabitants) and Rotterdam (576,200 inhabitants). Emergency hospital admissions for respiratory diseases, registered on a daily basis by the National Medical Registration, for the period 1977-89 were used. ICD-9 codes included were: respiratory (460-519), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (490-492, 494, 496), and asthma (493). The mean (range) of the total daily number of admissions for these three classifications were as follows: 6.70 (0-23), 1.74 (0-9) and 1.13 (0-7) respectively in Amsterdam and 4.79 (0-19), 1.57 (0-9), and 0.53 (0-5) in Rotterdam. Air pollution measurements were provided by the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection. In The Netherlands, air pollution is at a low to moderate ("summer type") or a low ("winter type") level. The levels in Amsterdam and Rotterdam did not differ much for the "summer type". For 1977-89 the mean (range) values of ozone (O3), the "summer type" pollutant (O3-8 h), were 86 (0-252) micrograms/m3 in Amsterdam and 82 (0-286) micrograms/m3 in Rotterdam. The mean (range) of the values "winter type", pollutant, sulphur dioxide (SO2-24 h), were 38 (0-381) micrograms/m3 in Amsterdam and 50 (1-379) micrograms/m3 in Rotterdam. For black smoke (BS-24 h), values were 14 (1-84) micrograms/m3 and 28 (1-144) micrograms/m3 respectively (1986-89). Ozone had a non-significant positive effect on the number of respiratory emergency admissions in summer in people aged > or = 65 years (relative risk for a 100 micrograms/m3 increase in O3-8 h of 1.127 (0.983, 1.292) in Amsterdam and a significant positive effect of 1.344 (1.097, 1.647) in 1977-81 in Rotterdam). Sulphur dioxide did not show any clear effects; in Amsterdam a significant negative effect was even found. The same was true for nitrogen dioxide in Amsterdam; in Rotterdam, however, nitrogen dioxide showed non-significant positive effects (RR 0.965, 1.342). Black smoke did not show any clear effects in Amsterdam; in Rotterdam it was positively but not significantly related to the number of admissions. The results show that the relation between short term air pollution and emergency hospital admissions is not always consistent at these rather low levels of daily hospital admissions and of air pollution.

Short term effects of air pollution on health: a European approach using epidemiologic time series data: the APHEA protocol.

Results from several studies over the past five years have shown that the current levels of pollutants in Europe and North America have adverse short term effects on health. The APHEA project aims to quantifying these in Europe, using standardised methodology. The project protocol and analytical methodology are presented here. Daily time series data were gathered for several air pollutants (sulphur dioxide; particulate matter, measured as total particles or as the particle fraction with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than a certain cut off, or as black smoke; nitrogen dioxide; and ozone) and health outcomes (the total and cause specific number of deaths and emergency hospital admissions). The data included fulfilled the quality criteria set by the APHEA protocol. Fifteen European cities from 10 different countries with a total population over 25 million. The APHEA collaborative group decided on a specific methodological procedure to control for confounding effects and evaluate the hypothesis. At the same time there was sufficient flexibility to allow local characteristics to be taken into account. The procedure included modelling of all potential confounding factors (that is, seasonal and long term patterns, meteorological factors, day of the week, holidays, and other unusual events), choosing the "best" air pollution models, and applying diagnostic tools to check the adequacy of the models. The final analysis used autoregressive Poisson models allowing for overdispersion. Effects were reported as relative risks contrasting defined increases in the corresponding pollutant levels. Each participating group applied the analyses to their own data. This methodology enabled results from many different European settings to be considered collectively. It represented the best available compromise between feasibility, comparability, and local adaptibility when using aggregated time series data not originally collected for the purpose of epidemiological studies.

Lichen physiology and air pollution. I. Physiological responses of in situ Parmelia sulcata among air pollution zones within Biel, Switzerland

Parmelia sulcata, a rather pollution resistant lichen species, was collected at 13 locations with different levels of air pollution from its natural habitat in the city and the suburbs of Biel, Switzerland, The growth rate, net and gross photosynthesis, release of C-assimilates, dark respiration, and protein and chlorophyll content were determined. Growth rates differed maximally by a factor of 7 with the lowest rates at fee central and most polluted locations of the city. The chlorophyll content was highest in the center and maximally four times lower at the suburban locations. The protein content, dark respiration, and net and gross photosynthesis did not differ significantly between the 13 locations when based on the dry weight, but the percentage of C-assimilates released by the algal cells was up to 15 times lower in the center. These results are different from previous reports where the transplant technique had been used, indicating that the long term effects of air pollution on the lichen metabolism under natural conditions are not the same. Key words: photosynthesis, C assimilation, growth, chlorophyll, dark respiration.