Are day-to-day variations of airborne particles associated with emergency ambulance dispatches?
BACKGROUND
Much of the evidence on the health effects of airborne particles is based on mortality and hospital admissions, while the evidence from other morbidity indicators is still limited.


OBJECTIVE
To measure the relationship between particles with diameter below 10 microm (PM10) and emergency ambulance dispatches (EAD).


METHODS
Daily EAD for six towns of the Emilia-Romagna region (Italy) were obtained from a database collecting real-time data. Time series analyses were performed, and city-specific estimates were combined using meta-analytic techniques.


RESULTS
We found a significant percentage change of EAD associated with a 10 microg/m3 increase of PM10 for non-traumatic diseases (0.86%, 95% CI: 0.61,1.1%). A positive relationship was also found for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases without reaching statistical significance. The risks were much higher in the warm (April-September) than in the cold season (January-March and October-December).


CONCLUSIONS
Emergency ambulance dispatches provide useful insight into the health effects of air pollution and may be useful to establish surveillance systems.
Stefano
S
Zauli Sajani
Ester
E
Alessandrini
Stefano
S
Marchesi
Paolo
P
Lauriola
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity*; D000552:Ambulances / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000401:mortality; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D010316:Particle Size; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity*; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000401:mortality; D012621:Seasons
D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter