Community characteristics affecting lag-structure of short-term exposure effect of ambient particulate matter on mortality: contextual variation of cumulative exposure effect and mortality displacement in 72 municipalities of seven major cities of South K

Abstract Background Ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a common air pollutant in developing countries and causes skin conditions, but its effect on eczema in subtropical areas is not clear in China. Object To measure the effect of short-term exposure of NO2 on the incidence of eczema and the change of outpatient visits. Methods Data of daily temperature, air pollutants, and outpatient visits from 2013 to 2018 were collected in a row. The generalized additive model (GAM) and Poisson distribution were used to assess the association between short-term exposure of NO2 and the outpatient visits of patients with eczema. The cumulative exposure effect of lag 0–3 days and the displacement effect of NO2 and other pollutants were considered as well. A single pollutant model was used to examine the independent association, and a two-pollutant model was adopted to control the confounding effect. Results The daily outpatient visits of eczema increased from 75.26 to 190.85 from 2013 to 2018 (P < 0.001). The combined influence of NO2 and the related pollutant exerted a stronger influence on the incidence of eczema. The maximum effect of NO2 appeared on the exposed day. (lag 0) and disappeared on day 4 (lag 3). The children and seniors were more vulnerable to NO2 exposure. Conclusion Exposure to NO2 is tightly associated with eczema incidence and outpatient visits. The hospitals should react to the visit fluctuations and adjust physician duty shifts to improve outpatient service efficiency.

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Exposure to indoor radon can be a concern in studies on the role of short-term exposure to air pollution and mortality

Reviews on Environmental Health ◽

10.1515/reveh-2018-0016 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 315-317 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S.M.J. Mortazavi

Keyword(s):

Particulate Matter ◽

Indoor Radon ◽

Fine Particulate Matter ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Emergency Department Visits ◽

Ambient Particulate Matter ◽

Residential Areas ◽

Short Term ◽

Short Term Exposure

Abstract Recent studies show that short-term exposure to ambient particulate matter is associated with more emergency department visits and hospitalizations for pneumonia as well as increased mortality and increased health care costs among older adults. Moreover, exposure to ambient particulate matter is shown to be connected with an increased rate of daily mortality and hospitalizations due to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The association between short-term exposures to particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) and ozone [at levels below the current daily National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)] and mortality in the continental United States has been recently addressed by some researchers. Although exposure to radon is usually known to cause late health effects such as lung cancer, some studies show a significant association between radon exposure and cerebrovascular disease (CeVD) mortality. In some residential areas with high levels of radon, it has been found that the incidences of respiratory, nervous system and cardiovascular system diseases exceed the average. Studies that calculated the radiation dose to blood and the walls of coronary arteries from radon and progeny also indicate that exposure to radon can increase the incidence of CVDs. Based on the evidence provided in this short communication, it can be concluded that ignoring the key role of radon in non-cancer mortality can easily affect the validity of the studies aimed at investigating the association between exposure to ambient fine particulate matter and mortality.

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