title: Air pollutants and hospitalization due to pneumonia among children. An ecological time series study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Exposure to air pollutants is one of the factors responsible for hospitalizations due to pneumonia among children. This has considerable financial cost, along with social cost. A study to identify the role of this exposure in relation to hospital admissions due to pneumonia among children up to 10 years of age was conducted.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ecological time series study using data from São José dos Campos, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  Daily data on hospitalizations due to pneumonia and on the pollutants CO, O3, PM10 and SO2, temperature and humidity in São José dos Campos, in 2012, were analyzed. A generalized additive model of Poisson's regression was used. Relative risks for hospitalizations due to pneumonia, according to lags of 0-5 days, were estimated. The population-attributable fraction, number of avoidable hospitalizations and cost savings from avoidable hospitalizations were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 539 admissions. Exposure to CO and O3 was seen to be associated with hospitalizations, with risks of 1.10 and 1.15 on the third day after exposure to increased CO concentration of 200 ppb and ozone concentration of 20 µg/m3. Exposure to the pollutants of particulate matter and sulfur dioxide were not shown to be associated with hospitalizations. Decreases in CO and ozone concentrations could lead to 49 fewer hospitalizations and cost reductions of R$ 39,000.00.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exposure to certain air pollutants produces harmful effects on children's health, even in a medium-sized city. Public policies to reduce emissions of these pollutants need to be implemented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Universidade de Taubaté, Taubaté, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tassia Soldi
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Tuan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Universidade de Taubaté, Taubaté, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Taís Siqueira
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Venâncio
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Universidade de Taubaté, Taubaté, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiz Fernando Costa
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Nascimento
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D001938:Brazil; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D010126:Ozone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000191:economics / Q000209:etiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide; D010126:Ozone; D002248:Carbon Monoxide