title: Respiratory morbidity in hospitalized Bedouins residing near an industrial park.
abstract: The residents' concern about exposure to a chemical industrial park (IP), which includes the national toxic industrial waste site, prompted the authors to initiate this ecological study on the association between residing near the IP and being hospitalized for respiratory ailments in the local Bedouin population. The population was stratified by sex, age, and locality type (permanent settlements and traditional tribal settlements). The distance and wind direction from the IP were used as exposure indicators. Hospitalization data were obtained from the regional medical center. Increased hospitalization rates for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and all respiratory diseases were found to be associated with residential proximity to the IP. Attributable risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was 34.2% in male members of the traditional tribal settlements and 49.3% in female members of the permanent settlements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Health Systems Evaluation, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Ella
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kordysh
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Karakis
authors.forename: Ilana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Belmaker
authors.forename: Hilel
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vardi
authors.forename: Arkady
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bolotin
authors.forename: Batia
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sarov
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018912:Arabs; D001249:Asthma / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009812:Odorants / Q000032:analysis; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology*; D017678:Sex Distribution
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D015386:Hazardous Substances