Open AccessParticulate air pollution and hospital admissions in Christchurch, New Zealand
Author(s) -
McGowan J.A.,
Hider P.N.,
Chacko E.,
Town G.I.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-842x.2002.tb00266.x
Subject(s) - interquartile range , environmental health , particulates , air pollution , medicine , particulate pollution , emergency medicine , air quality index , meteorology , geography , ecology , chemistry , organic chemistry , biology
AbstractAims: Winterair pollution in Christchurch is dominated by particulate matter from solid fuel domestic heating. The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between particulate air pollution and admissions to hospital with cardio‐respiratory illnesses.Methods: Particulate air pollution statistics (PM 10 ) were obtained from the Canterbury Regional Council monitoring station in the city. The New Zealand Health Information Service provided data on admissions to the Princess Margaret and Christchurch Hospitals for the period June 1988 through December 1998 for both adults and children with cardiac and respiratory disorders. The relationship between PM 10 and admissions was explored using a time series analysis approach controlling for weather variables. Missing values were interpolated from carbon monoxide data for the same time period, as carbon monoxide and PM 10 were highly correlated.Results: There was a significant association between PM 10 levels and cardio‐respiratory admissions. For all age groups combined there was a 3.37% increase in respiratory admissions for each interquartile rise in PM 10 (interquartile value 14.8 mcg/m 3 ). There was also a 1.26% rise in cardiac admissions for each interquartile rise in PM 10 . There was no relationship between PM 10 and admissions for appendicitis, the control condition selected.Conclusions: In keeping with overseas studies, there is evidence in Christchurch of a relationship between ambient particulate levels and admissions with cardiac and respiratory illnesses. The size of the effect is consistent with overseas data, with the greatest impact for respiratory disorders.Implications: These results indicate that measures to control ambient particulate levels have the potential to reduce hospital admissions for cardio‐respiratory illnesses.