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Seven‐day cumulative effects of air pollutants increase respiratory ER visits up to threefold
Author(s) -
Schvartsman Cláudio,
Pereira Luiz Alberto Amador,
Braga Alfésio Luiz Ferreira,
Farhat Sylvia Costa Lima
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
pediatric pulmonology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.866
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1099-0496
pISSN - 8755-6863
DOI - 10.1002/ppul.23555
Subject(s) - medicine , poisson regression , pollutant , air pollutants , respiratory system , cumulative effects , air pollution , environmental health , demography , population , sociology , ecology , chemistry , organic chemistry , biology
Summary Objective: Children are especially vulnerable to respiratory injury induced by exposure to air pollutants. In the present study, we investigate periods of up to 7 days, and evaluate the lagged effects of exposure to air pollutants on the daily number of children and adolescents visiting the emergency room (ER) for the treatment of lower respiratory obstructive diseases (LROD), in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: Daily records of LROD‐related ER visits by children and adolescents under the age of 19, from January 2000 to December 2007 (2,922 days) were included in the study. Time‐series regression models (generalized linear Poisson) were used to control for short‐ and long‐term trends, as well as for temperature and relative humidity. Third‐degree polynomial lag models were used to estimate both lag structures and the cumulative effects of air pollutants. Effects of air pollutants were expressed as the percentage increase in LROD‐related ER visits. Results: We observed an acute effect at the same day of exposure to air pollutants; however, the cumulative effects of air pollutants on the number of LROD‐related ER visits was almost threefold greater than the one observed at the same day of exposure to PM 10 , SO 2 , and NO 2 mainly in children aged 5 years and under. The 7‐day cumulative effect of SO 2 reached 11.0% (95% CI: 5.0–16.7) increase in visits. Conclusion and Relevance: This study highlights the effects of intermediate‐term exposure to air pollutants on LROD in children. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2017;52:205–212. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.