Open AccessAmbient air pollution and emergency department visits among children and adults in Casablanca, Morocco
Author(s) -
Chakib Nejjari,
Abdelghafour Marfak,
Ahmed Rguig,
Abderrahmane Maaroufi,
Ihssane El Marouani,
Abderrafii El Haloui,
Bouchra El Johra,
Rachid Ouahabi,
Rachid Moulki,
Amina Idrissi Azami,
Youness El Achhab
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
aims public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2327-8994
DOI - 10.3934/publichealth.2021022
Subject(s) - emergency department , air pollution , asthma , air pollutants , medicine , pediatrics , chemistry , organic chemistry , psychiatry
This study presents the relationships between ambient air pollutants and morbidity and emergency department visits among children and adults performed in Great Casablanca, the most populated and economic region in Morocco. This research was analyzed using conditional Poisson model for the period 2011-2013. In the period of study, the daily average concentrations of SO 2 , NO 2 , O 3 and PM 10 in Casablanca were 209.4 µg/m 3 , 61 µg/m 3 , 113.2 µg/m 3 and 75.1 µg/m 3 , respectively. In children less than 5 years old, risk of asthma could be increased until 12% per 10 µg/m 3 increase in NO 2 , PM10, SO 2 and O 3 . In children over 5 years and adults, an increase of 10 µg/m 3 air pollutant can cause an increase until 3% and 4% in respiratory consultations and acute respiratory infection, respectively. Similarly, impact on emergency department visits due to respiratory and cardiac illness was established. Our results suggest a not negligible impact on morbidity of outdoor air pollution by NO 2 , SO 2 , O 3 , and PM 10 .