Association between air pollution and asthma admission among children in Hong Kong

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of air pollutants with hospital admission for childhood asthma in Hong Kong. METHODS: Data on hospital admissions for asthma, influenza and total hospital admissions in children aged ≤18 years at all Hospital Authority hospitals during 1997–2002 were obtained. Data on daily mean concentrations of particles with aerodynamic diameter <10 μm (i. e. PM(10)) and <2.5 μm (i. e. PM(2.5)), nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), sulphur dioxide (SO(2)), and ozone (O(3)) and data on meteorological variables were associated with asthma hospital admissions using Poisson's regression with generalized additive models for correction of yearly trend, temperature, humidity, day-of-week effect, holiday, influenza admissions and total hospital admission. The possibility of a lag effect of each pollutant and the interaction of different pollutants were also examined. RESULTS: The association between asthma admission with change of NO(2), PM(10), PM(2.5) and O(3) levels remained significant after adjustment for multi-pollutants effect and confounding variables, with increase in asthma admission rate of 5.64% (3.21–8.14) at lag 3 for NO(2), 3.67% (1.52–5.86) at lag 4 for PM(10), 3.24% (0.93–5.60) at lag 4 for PM(2.5) and 2.63% (0.64–4.67) at lag 2 for O(3). Effect of SO(2) was lost after adjustment. CONCLUSION: Ambient levels of PM(10), PM(2.5), NO(2) and O(3) are associated with childhood asthma hospital admission in Hong Kong

Health effects of ambient air pollution – recent research development and contemporary methodological challenges

Exposure to high levels of air pollution can cause a variety of adverse health outcomes. Air quality in developed countries has been generally improved over the last three decades. However, many recent epidemiological studies have consistently shown positive associations between low-level exposure to air pollution and health outcomes. Thus, adverse health effects of air pollution, even at relatively low levels, remain a public concern. This paper aims to provide an overview of recent research development and contemporary methodological challenges in this field and to identify future research directions for air pollution epidemiological studies

Ambient air pollution and hospital admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory disease in Melbourne, Australia

Background: This paper presents the findings of a time-series analysis of the health effects of air pollution in Melboume, Australia. Objectives: To examine the effects of 03, N02, fine particles and CO on daily emergency hospital admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory disease and asthma between 1994 and 1997. Methods: The methodological approach utilises GAM with Poisson regression. Meteorological conditions, influenza epidemics and temporal factors such as day of the week, public holidays and school holidays were controlled for in the analysis. Results: Significant positive associations were observed for N02, particles, CO and 03 in the 0-14 age group for admissions for total respiratory disease and asthma. In the 15-64 year age group, positive associations were observed for all pollutants for all health out- comes. In the 65+ age group significant associations were observed for all pollutants for admissions for respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Admissions for asthma in the 0-14 age group showed a 14.8% increase in risk of admission per unit increase in bsp (equiva- lent to 20 ug/m3 PM2.5). Controlling for N02 in a multi-pollutant analysis reduced the size and significance of the particle effect. Effects for particles were stronger in the cool sea- son while associations with N02 were strongest during the warm months. Ozone effects were strongest during the warm months. The most consistent effects with CO were asso- ciated with admissions for cardiovascular disease and ischemic heart disease. Conclusions: Current levels of ambient pollution in Melboume are making a significant contribution to daily variations in emergency hospital admissions for respiratory and car- diovascular disease

Effects of ambient particle pollution on daily mortality in Melbourne, 1991-1996

This paper presents the results of a study in Melbourne, Australia, of the short-term effects of ambient fine particle pollution on daily mortality occurring between 1991 and 1996. The methodological approach used Poisson regression and Generalized Additive Models (GAM) with LOESS smoothing to control for temporal and meteorological effects. The association between particles and increases in daily mortality was examined using nephelometry data (bsp, mean 24 h average = 0.26 x 10-4 m-1, mean 1 h maximum = 0.60 x 10-4 m-1), PM2.5 (24 h mean = 9.42 ?g/m3) and PM10 (24 h mean = 19 ?g/m3). Both the PM10 and PM2.5 data were estimated from nephelometry data using previously derived relationships for the Melbourne airshed. Significant positive associations between the particle measures considered and all cause and respiratory mortality were found in the warm season (November-March). A 1 x 10-4 m-1 increase in maximum 1-h bsp levels was associated with a 2.19% (95% CI = 0.01-4.43%) increase in risk of death for all cause mortality and a 10.40% (95% CI = 2.44-18.97%) increase in risk for respiratory mortality in the warm season. A 1 ?g/m3 increase in 24-h PM2.5 in the warm season was associated with a 0.38% (95% CI = 0.06-0.70%) increase in risk of death for all cause mortality and a 1.18% (95% CI = 0.05-2.32%) increase in risk for respiratory mortality. For PM10, a 1 ?g/m3 increase was associated with an increased risk of 0.18% (95% CI = 0.03-0.33%) for all cause mortality and 0.59% (95% CI = 0.06-1.13%) for respiratory mortality. Significant associations were also found in the 65+ age group in the warm season. However, for these warm periods, the effects of ozone (average 1 h maximum = 127 ppb) and nitrogen dioxide (average 1 h maximum = 70.7 ppb) were also significant and, due to high correlations between these pollutants, it was not possible to separate the particle effects from those of O3 and NO2. Sulfur dioxide was not examined as concentrations of this pollutant in Melbourne are very low (max 1 h = 15-24 ppb, annual average 0.8 ppb). Comparison with other Australian studies in Sydney and Brisbane indicates different results for particle pollution

Gymnocoronis spilanthoides

One of the EPPO (European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization) data sheets on pests recommended for regulation, being an output from an expert working group that risk analysed G. spilanthoides for the EPPO region in October 2016

The short-term effects of air pollution on hospital admissions in four Australian cities

Background. This paper examines the short-term health effects of air pollution on daily hospital admissions in Australian cities (those considered comprise more than 50% of the Australian population) for the period 1996-99. Methods: The study used a similar protocol to overseas studies and derived single city and pooled estimates using different statistical approaches to assess the accuracy of the results. Results: There was little difference between the results derived from the different statistical approaches for cardiovascular admissions, while in those for respiratory admissions there were differences. For three of the four cities (for the other the results were positive but not significant), fine particles (measured by nephelometry - bsp) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) have a significant impact on cardiovascular admissions (for total cardiac admissions, RR=1.0856 for a one-unit increase in bsp (10(-4). m(-1)), RR=1.0023 for a 1 ppb increase in NO2). For three of the four cities (for the other, the results were negative and significant), fine particles, NO2 and ozone have a significant impact on respiratory admissions (for total elderly respiratory admissions, RR=1.0552 per 1 unit (10(-4).m(-1)) increase in bsp, RR=1.0027 per 1ppb increase in NO2, RR=10014 per 1 ppb increase in ozone for elderly asthma and COPD admissions). In all analyses the particle and NO2 impacts appear to be related. Conclusions: Similar to overseas studies, air pollution has an impact on hospital admissions in Australian cities, but there can be significant differences between cities

Air quality and health risk studies

Result of a workshop on air polution and health risk held October 1998 and jointly sponsored by the Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand, the CSIRO Atmospheric Research, the CSIRO Environmental Risk Network and the Australian Lung Foundation