Relationship between acute respiratory illness and air pollution levels in an industrial city.
A retrospective study relating air pollution levels to hospital admissions for acute exacerbations among adults with chronic respiratory illness and children with acute respiratory disease was carried out in a highly industralized Canadian city. A total of 1,780 patient records were collated, and daily, weekly, and monthly hospital admission rates were related to a standard air pollution index that took into account floating particles and sulfur dioxide. A correlation coefficient of 0.77 (P less than 0.01) between number of admissions and level of air pollution was found for the city as a whole, and the strength of the association varied inversely with the distance of the hospital from the industrial area.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009864:Ontario; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011656:Pulmonary Emphysema / Q000453:epidemiology; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide / Q000032:analysis; D014887:Weather
D000393:Air Pollutants; D007220:Industrial Waste; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide