Asthma and low level air pollution in Helsinki
- Department of Environmental Health, Helsinki City Health Department (Finland)
The effects of relatively low levels of air pollution and weather conditions on the number of patients who had asthma attacks and who were admitted to a hospital were studied in Helsinki during a 3-y period. The number of admissions increased during cold weather (n = 4,209), especially among persons who were of working age but not among children. Even after standardization for temperature, all admissions, including emergency ward admissions, were significantly correlated with ambient air concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitric oxide (NO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), and total suspended particulates (TSP). Regression analysis revealed that NO and O3 were most strongly associated with asthma problems. Effects of air pollutants and cold were maximal if they occurred on the same day, except for O3, which had a more pronounced effect after a 1-d lag. The associations between pollutants, low temperature, and admissions were most significant among adults of working age, followed by the elderly. Among children, only O3 and NO were significantly correlated with admissions. Levels of pollutants were fairly low, the long-term mean being 19.2 micrograms/m3 for SO2, 38.6 micrograms/m3 for NO2, 22.0 micrograms/m3 or O3, and 1.3 mg/m3 for CO. In contrast, the mean concentration of TSP was high (76.3 micrograms/m3), and the mean temperature was low (+ 4.7 degrees C). These results suggest that concentrations of pollutants lower than those given as guidelines in many countries may increase the incidence of asthma attacks.
- OSTI ID:
- 6014440
- Journal Information:
- Archives of Environmental Health; (United States), Vol. 46:5; ISSN 0003-9896
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ASTHMA
EPIDEMIOLOGY
CARBON MONOXIDE
HEALTH HAZARDS
FINLAND
AIR POLLUTION
NITRIC OXIDE
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
OZONE
PARTICULATES
SULFUR DIOXIDE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
MAN
REGRESSION ANALYSIS
ANIMALS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISEASES
EUROPE
HAZARDS
MAMMALS
MATHEMATICS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
POLLUTION
PRIMATES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
SCANDINAVIA
STATISTICS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR OXIDES
VERTEBRATES
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology