Association of Short-Term Exposure to Ambient Fine Particulate Matter with Skin Symptoms in Schoolchildren: A Panel Study in a Rural Area of Western Japan.
Numerous studies have unmasked the deleterious effects of particulate matter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) on health. However, epidemiologic evidence focusing on the effects of PM2.5on skin health remains limited. An important aspect of Asian dust (AD) in relationship to health is the amount of PM2.5contained therein. Several studies have demonstrated that AD can aggravate skin symptoms. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of short-term exposure to PM2.5and AD particles on skin symptoms in schoolchildren. A total of 339 children recorded daily skin symptom scores during February 2015. Light detection and ranging were used to calculate AD particle size. Generalized estimating equation logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the associations among skin symptoms and the daily levels of PM2.5and AD particles. Increases in the levels of PM2.5and AD particles were not related to an increased risk of skin symptom events, with increases of 10.1 μg/m³ in PM2.5and 0.01 km-1in AD particles changing odds ratios by 1.03 and 0.99, respectively. These results suggest that short-term exposure to PM2.5and AD does not impact skin symptoms in schoolchildren.
Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan. watanabm@grape.med.tottori-u.ac.jp.
Masanari
M
Watanabe
Department of Data Science, Institute of Statistical Mathematics, 10-3 Midori-cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8562, Japan. noma@ism.ac.jp.
Hisashi
H
Noma
Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan. junkurajun@gmail.com.
Jun
J
Kurai
Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Faculty of Medicine, Kinki University, 377-2 Ohnohigashi, Osakasayama 589-0014, Japan. hsano@med.kindai.ac.jp.
Hiroyuki
H
Sano
Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan. iwatak@mfc.or.jp.|Mio Fertility Clinic, Reproductive Centre, 2-1-1 Kuzumo-minami, Yonago 683-0008, Japan. iwatak@mfc.or.jp.
Kyoko
K
Iwata
Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan. degujirefu@med.tottori-u.ac.jp.
Degejirihu
D
Hantan
Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Faculty of Medicine, Kinki University, 377-2 Ohnohigashi, Osakasayama 589-0014, Japan. tohda@med.kindai.ac.jp.
Yuji
Y
Tohda
Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan. eiji@med.tottori-u.ac.jp.
Eiji
E
Shimizu
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010316:Particle Size; D012424:Rural Population; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*
D000393:Air Pollutants; D004391:Dust
Asian dust; ambient particulate matter; particulate matter less than 2.5 μm; schoolchildren; skin symptoms