Effects of PM2.5 on Emergency Room Visits for Cardiovascular and Respiratory Diseases in Central Taiwan
*Ssu Ting Liu
Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan
Submission: May 01, 2017; Published: May 04, 2017
*Corresponding author: Ssu Ting Liu, Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, 155 Li-Nong 2nd Street, Taipei, Taiwan, Email: rs86229@yahoo.com.tw
How to cite this article: Ssu Ting L. Effects of PM2.5 on Emergency Room Visits for Cardiovascular and Respiratory Diseases in Central Taiwan. Int J Environ Sci Nat Res. 2017; 2(3): 555587. DOI: 10.19080/IJESNR.2017.02.555587
Abbreviations
CVD: Cardiovascular Diseases; RDs: Respiratory Diseases; EPA: Environmental Protection Administration; GAM: Generalized Additive Model
Background and Objective
PM2.5 is one of the hazardous pollutants in air, its chemical composition is complex, which causes adverse effects on cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and respiratory diseases (RDs) due to climate change and human activities. Therefore, the aim is to assess the PM2.5 concentrations affects emergency room visits of CVDs and RDs.
Materials and Methods
Air pollutant’s data selected from the air quality monitoring station of Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) in central Taiwan during the period of 2006 to 2008. Registry of CVDs and RDs emergency room visits collected from the 2006 to 2008 of the National Health Insurance database. Unidirectional retrospective case-crossover and Time-series, which were performed by Conditional logistic regression and Poisson Generalized Additive Model (GAM), respectively, were designed to estimate the effects of PM2.5 with emergency room visits for CVDs and RDs in central Taiwan.
Results
A 10µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 significantly associated with increase in 3.9% risk (95%CI: 0.8%-7.1%) for RDs (Lag0) in emergency room visits. Significant effects were observed with PM2.5 among people with fewer than 65 years of age. During dust storm periods, a 10µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with increase risks of 138.4% (95%CI: 12.8%-403.7%) for CVDs (Lag0) and 61.9% (95%CI: 16.9%-124.3%) for RDs (Lag0) in emergency room visits. Adjusted NO2 and SO2, PM2.5 levels in urban area on the effects of emergency room visits were significant higher than rural area. A 10µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with increase of 7.5% (95% CI: 3.0%-12.3%) for RDs (Lag0). A 10µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with increased risk of 17.3% (95% CI: 4.2%-32.1%) for CVDs in emergency room visits among women (Lag2).
Conclusion
PM2.5 levels were more significant on RDs than CVDs in urban and in industrial area. However, high PM2.5 levels during dust storm periods had significant effects on CVDs than RDs. Stronger effects of PM2.5 on RDs and CVDs among women. Therefore, women with fewer than 65 years of age should not expose to PM2.5, especially during dust storm.