Air Pollution and Emergency Department Visits for Disease of the Genitourinary System

The aim of this study is to determine associations between ambient air pollution and the number of emergency department (ED) visits for diseases of the genitourinary tract in Toronto, Canada. We used the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS) database to obtain the related ED visits and developed statistical models using daily data on ED visits, temperature, relative humidity, and outdoor air pollution concentration levels. The NACRS database contains data on hospital-based and community-based ambulatory care. The environmental data were retrieved from the National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) program. The NAPS is the main source of ambient air quality data in Canada. We considered 2 air quality health indexes and 6 air pollutants: daily means of fine particulate matter PM2.5, O3, CO, NO2, SO2, and also maximum 8-hour average ozone. For every air pollutant, we fit 270 models (15 lags × 18 strata). We found that same-day air pollution concentrations have the highest number of statistically significantly positive associations with ED visits for genitourinary health outcomes. A total of 133 positive associations were identified over the 14 days lag. In subgroup (strata) analysis, females older than 60 years of age were found to have the most positive associations. In particular, nitrogen dioxide was found to be highly associated with ED visits for females over 60; an increase in NO2 was associated with an increased relative risk (RR) of ED visits when lagged over 0, 1, and 2 days (RR = 1.040 [95% confidence interval: 1.028, 1.052], 1.020 [1.009, 1.032], and 1.025 [1.013, 1.036], respectively). The values of risks are reported for a 1 interquartile range increase in concentration (8.8 ppb). Our results suggest that urban ambient air pollution affect the number of ED visits due to genitourinary system conditions.

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MOPGA/Make Air Quality Great Again: Filling in the air quality data gap in Africa using lower-cost RAMP monitors

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-10942 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ramachandran Subramanian ◽

Matthias Beekmann ◽

Carl Malings ◽

Anais Feron ◽

Paola Formenti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Electrochemical Sensors ◽

Low Cost ◽

Fine Particulate Matter ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Quality Data ◽

Rural Site ◽

Data Gap

Ambient air pollution is a leading cause of premature mortality across the world, with an estimated 258,000 deaths in Africa (UNICEF/GBD 2017). These estimated impacts have large uncertainties as many major cities in Africa do not have any ground-based air quality monitoring. The lack of data is due in part to the high cost of traditional monitoring equipment and the lack of trained personnel. As part of the &#8220;Make Air Quality Great Again&#8221; project under the &#8220;Make Our Planet Great Again&#8221; framework (MOPGA), we propose filling this data gap with low-cost sensors carefully calibrated against reference monitors.Fifteen real-time affordable multi-pollutant (RAMP) monitors have been deployed in Abidjan, C&#244;te d'Ivoire; Accra, Ghana; Kigali, Rwanda; Nairobi, Kenya; Niamey, Niger; and Zamdela, South Africa (near Johannesburg). The RAMPs use Plantower optical nephelometers to measure fine particulate matter mass (PM2.5) and four Alphasense electrochemical sensors to detect pollutant gases including nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3).Using a calibration developed in Cr&#233;teil, France, the deployments thus far reveal morning and evening spikes in combustion-related air pollution. The median hourly NO2 in Accra and Nairobi for September-October 2019 was about 11 ppb; a similar value was observed across November-December 2019 in Zamdela. However, a previous long-term deployment of the RAMPs in Rwanda showed that, for robust data quality, low-cost sensors must be collocated with traditional reference monitors to develop localized calibration models. Hence, we acquired regulatory-grade PM2.5, NO2, and O3 monitors for Abidjan and Accra. We also collocated RAMPs with existing reference monitors in Zamdela, Kigali, Abidjan, and Lamto (a rural site in C&#244;te d'Ivoire). In this talk, we will present results on spatio-temporal variability of collocation-based sensor calibrations across these different cities, source identification, and challenges and plans for future expansion.

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Air pollution and emergency department visits for urticaria

Polish Journal of Public Health ◽

10.2478/pjph-2021-0013 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 131 (1) ◽

pp. 67-70

Author(s):

Mieczysław Szyszkowicz ◽

Nicholas De Angelis

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Air Pollution ◽

Particulate Matter ◽

Fine Particulate Matter ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Ambient Ozone ◽

Fine Particulate ◽

Ed Visits ◽

Positive Correlations

Abstract Introduction. This study investigates associations between air pollution and emergency department (ED) visits for urticaria in Toronto, Canada. Aim. To verify the hypothesis that urticaria are related to air pollution. Material and methods. The National Ambulatory Care Reporting System database is used to draw the daily ED visits. The L50 section of the International Classification of Disease 10th Revision is applied to extract ED visits whose primary causes was urticaria-related skin condition. Statistical models (condition Poisson regression) using daily counts of ED visits are constructed for urticaria (health response) with ambient air pollution concentrations and weather factors as independent variable. Two air quality health indexes and six ambient air pollutants: fine particulate matter PM2.5, O3, CO, NO2, SO2, and maximum 8-hour average ozone are considered as an exposure. Results. A total of 176 statistically significant (P-Value <0.05) positive correlations were identified over the 15 day lag period (0-14 days). For daily average of ambient ozone, 74 positive correlations were observed with the following relative risks (RR) for a one interquartile range (IQR=12.8 ppb) increase: RR=1.361 (95% confidence interval: 1.302, 1.404), 1.359 (1.299, 1.401), 1.351 (1.281, 1.404) in the warm season (April-September), lag 0, and RR=1.019 (1.013, 1.025), 1.023 (1.016, 1.030), 1.014 (1.007, 1.021), lag 1, in the cold period (October-March), for all, females, and males, respectively. 10, 45 and 45 positive correlations were also obtained for sulfur dioxide, fine particulate matter, and daily maximum 8-hour average ozone concentrations, respectively. Conclusions. The results indicate that urban ambient air pollution could influence the numbers of ED visits for urticaria. Ambient ozone was determined as the main environmental factor contributing to these associations.

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The air quality health index and emergency department visits for injury

Polish Journal of Public Health ◽

10.2478/pjph-2020-0012 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 130 (1) ◽

pp. 52-56

Author(s):

Mieczysław Szyszkowicz

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Emergency Department Visits ◽

Health Index ◽

Study Results ◽

Quality Health ◽

Ed Visits ◽

Air Quality Health Index

Abstract Introduction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations of ambient air quality with emergency department (ED) visits for injury. Aim. To explore correlations between ED visits for injury and ambient air pollution. Materials and methods. Considered health outcomes are ED visits for injury (ICD-9 codes: 800-999) in Edmonton, Canada, for the period from April 1998 to March 2002 (1,444 days). Air pollution concentration in the ambient air is represented as a daily maximum of the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI). The AQHI value encapsulates levels of three urban ambient air pollutants (ozone, nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter), weighted by constant risk coefficients. A time-stratified casecrossover design, using conditional logistic regression and conditional Poisson regression, was realized to assess the associations. The risk, reported as odds ratio and relative risk, was estimated using log-linear models and parametric non-linear concentrationresponse functions. Results. The strongest effects were observed for young male patients in the cold season (October-March). Lagged exposures were found to have positive statistically significant associations. Discussion. The study results indicate that air quality was associated with increased risk of daily ED visits for injury. This study determined concentration-response functions which allow one to assess the effects for various levels of the AQHI.

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Development of a Health-Based Index to Identify the Association between Air Pollution and Health Effects in Mexico City

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12030372 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 372

Author(s):

Kevin Cromar ◽

Laura Gladson ◽

Mónica Jaimes Palomera ◽

Lars Perlmutt

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Mexico City ◽

Health Risks ◽

Quality Index ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Air Quality Index ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Ed Visits

Health risks from air pollution continue to be a major concern for residents in Mexico City. These health burdens could be partially alleviated through individual avoidance behavior if accurate information regarding the daily health risks of multiple pollutants became available. A split sample approach was used in this study to create and validate a multi-pollutant, health-based air quality index. Poisson generalized linear models were used to assess the impacts of ambient air pollution (i.e., fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ground-level ozone (O3)) on a total of 610,982 daily emergency department (ED) visits for respiratory disease obtained from 40 facilities in the metropolitan area of Mexico City from 2010 to 2015. Increased risk of respiratory ED visits was observed for interquartile increases in the 4-day average concentrations of PM2.5 (Risk Ratio (RR) 1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.04), O3 (RR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.05), and to a lesser extent NO2 (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.99–1.02). An additive, multi-pollutant index was created using coefficients for these three pollutants. Positive associations of index values with daily respiratory ED visits was observed among children (ages 2–17) and adults (ages 18+). The use of previously unavailable daily health records enabled an assessment of short-term ambient air pollution concentrations on respiratory morbidity in Mexico City and the creation of a health-based air quality index, which is now currently in use in Mexico City.

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Effect of PM2.5 Levels on Respiratory Pediatric ED Visits in a Semi-Urban Greek Peninsula

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18126384 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (12) ◽

pp. 6384

Author(s):

Nikolaos Kanellopoulos ◽

Ioannis Pantazopoulos ◽

Maria Mermiri ◽

Georgios Mavrovounis ◽

Georgios Kalantzis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Respiratory Diseases ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

World Health ◽

Quality Guidelines ◽

Ed Visits ◽

The Mean ◽

Air Quality Guidelines

Ambient air pollution accounts for an estimated 4.2 million deaths worldwide. Particulate matter (PM)2.5 particles are believed to be the most harmful, as when inhaled they can penetrate deep into the lungs. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between PM2.5 daily air concentrations and pediatric emergency department (ED) visits for respiratory diseases in a Greek suburban area. All pediatric ED visits for asthma-, pneumonia- and upper respiratory infection (URI)-related complaints were recorded during the one-year period. The 24-h PM2.5 air pollution data were prospectively collected from twelve fully automated air quality monitoring stations. The mean annual concentration of PM2.5 was 30.03μg/m3 (World Health Organization (WHO) Air Quality Guidelines (AQG) Annual mean concentration: 10 μg/m3). PM2.5 levels rose above the WHO Air Quality Guidelines (AQG) 24-h concentrations (25 μg/m3)), 178 times (48.6% of the study period). When PM2.5 levels were above the daily limit, an increase of 32.44% (p < 0.001) was observed in daily pediatric ED visits for respiratory diseases and the increase was much higher during spring (21.19%, p = 0.018). A 32% (p < 0.001) increase was observed in URI-related visits, when PM2.5 levels were ≥ 25 μg/m3, compared to the mean daily visits when PM2.5 levels were < 25 μg/m3. Air pollution levels were associated with increased pediatric ED visits for respiratory-related diseases.

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Air Quality Assessment in the State of Kuwait during 2012 to 2017

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12060678 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 678

Author(s):

Adeeba Al-Hurban ◽

Sawsan Khader ◽

Ahmad Alsaber ◽

Jiazhu Pan

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Meteorological Factors ◽

Ambient Air ◽

The State ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Northeast Monsoon ◽

Residential Areas ◽

Industrial Areas ◽

The State Of Kuwait

This study aimed to examine the trend of ambient air pollution (i.e., ozone (O3), nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), benzene (C6H6) and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than 10 microns (PM10), and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) at 10 monitoring stations located in the main residential and industrial areas in the State of Kuwait over 6 years (2012–2017). We found that the SO2 level in industrial areas (0.065 ppm) exceeded the allowable range of SO2 in residential areas (0.030 ppm). Air pollution variables were defined by the Environmental Public Authority of Kuwait (K-EPA). In this study, integrated statistical analysis was performed to compare an established air pollution database to Kuwait Ambient Air Quality Guidelines and to determine the association between pollutants and meteorological factors. All pollutants were positively correlated, with the exception of most pollutants and PM10 and O3. Meteorological factors, i.e., the ambient temperature, wind speed and humidity, were also significantly associated with the above pollutants. Spatial distribution mapping indicated that the PM10 level remained high during the southwest monsoon (the hot and dry season), while the CO level was high during the northeast monsoon (the wet season). The NO2 and O3 levels were high during the first intermonsoon season.

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Air Quality Profile in an Enclosed Car Park

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.567.3 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 567 ◽

pp. 3-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nurul Izma Mohammed ◽

Nurfadhilah Othman ◽

Khairul Bariyah Baharuddin

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Health Effects ◽

Sulphur Dioxide ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Kuala Lumpur ◽

Short Supply ◽

Car Park

Complaints on poor air quality in an enclosed car park have been raised up among the public, which might cause serious health effects to the drivers, passengers, and labours who are working at the premises. Improper design of mechanical ventilation systems in a car park would result in a poor indoor environment. The exhaust emission of motor vehicle contains a variety of potentially harmful substances encompassing carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, hydrocarbons, and fine particulates. In Kuala Lumpur, there is a great demand but a short supply of lands and building spaces. Thus, a large multi-storey underground car parks is a common solution for both, the government and developers. Although the health effects of the motor vehicle emissions and ambient air pollution are already known, but due to the nature of enclosed multi-storey car parks, these health risks are predicted to be intensified. Thus, it is crucial to investigate and evaluate the status of the air pollution in the enclosed car parks with emphasis on sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxides (NO2). Samples were collected in one of the famous shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur using a GrayWolf Advanced Sense Direct Sense; Toxic Gas Test Meters from 8 am until 5 pm on weekdays and weekends. The results demonstrate that the concentrations of SO2 and NO2 on weekends is higher than weekdays. Besides, the concentrations for both weekdays and weekends have exceeded the standard limit set by the Malaysian Ambient Air Quality Guideline (MAAQG).

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COVID-19 national lockdown in Morocco: impacts on air quality and public health

10.1101/2020.07.05.20146589 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Kenza Khomsi ◽

Houda Najmi ◽

Hassan Amghar ◽

Youssef Chelhaoui ◽

Zineb Souhaili

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Pollution Reduction ◽

Industrial Activities ◽

Large Cities ◽

Almost All ◽

Quality Status

AbstractOn the 20th April 2020, the end date of the first strict lockdown period in Morocco, 2 403 410 cases of the corona Virus were confirmed globally. The number of Morocco confirmed cases attended 2990, while 12 746 were suspected and 143 deaths were recorded. Due to the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 worldwide and in Morocco, almost all avoidable activities in the country were prohibited since the kingdom announced activities reduction on March 16, 2020 and then general lockdown with reduced industrial activities on March 20, 2020.This study aims at comparing the air quality status in Casablanca and Marrakech, two large cities from Morocco, before the pandemic and during the lockdown situation to show whether COVID-19 compelled-anthropogenic activities lockdown may have saved lives by restraining ambient air pollution than by preventing infection.We found that, during the quarantine, NO2 dropped by -12 μg/m3 in Casablanca and -7 μg/m3 in Marrakech. PM2·5 dropped by -18 μg/m3 in Casablanca and -14 μg/m3 in Marrakech. CO dropped by -0.04 mg/m3 in Casablanca and -0.12 mg/m3 in Marrakech. This air pollution reduction had created human health benefits and had reduced mortality and saved lives mainly from cardiovascular diseases.

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