title: [Health effects of ambient ultrafine particles--the project UFIREG].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The project "Ultrafine particles--an evidence based contribution to the development of regional and European environmental and health policy" (UFIREG) started in July 2011 and ended in December 2014. It was implemented through the Central Europe Programme and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund. Five cities in four Central European countries participated in the study: Augsburg (Germany), Chernivtsi (Ukraine), Dresden (Germany), Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Prague (Czech Republic). The aim of the UFIREG project was to improve the knowledge base on possible health effects of ambient ultrafine particles (UFP) and to raise overall awareness of environmental and health care authorities and the population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Epidemiological studies in the frame of the UFIREG project have assessed the short-term effects of UFP on human mortality and morbidity, especially in relation to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Official statistics were used to determine the association between air pollution concentration and daily (cause-specific: respiratory and cardiovascular) hospital admissions and mortality. Associations of UFP levels and health effects were analysed for each city by use of Poisson regression models adjusting for a number of confounding factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results on morbidity and mortality effects of UFP were heterogeneous across the five European cities investigated. Overall, an increase in respiratory hospital admissions and mortality could be detected for increases in UFP concentrations. Results on cardiovascular health were less conclusive.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further multi-centre studies such as UFIREG are needed preferably investigating several years in order to produce powerful results.
authors.forename: Miroslav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dostál
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pastorková
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lanzinger
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bastian
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Senghaas
authors.forename: Ziva
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Erzen
authors.forename: Jiří
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Novák
authors.forename: Teťana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kolodnitska
authors.forename: Radim J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Šrám
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peters
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018876:Environmental Illness / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends
keywords: air pollution - ultrafine particles - cardiovascular - respiratory - hospital admissions - mortality.