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Air pollutants and hospitalization due to pneumonia among children. An ecological time series study
Tassia Soldi Tuan1, Taís Siqueira Venâncio1, Luiz Fernando Costa Nascimento1
1Department of Medicine, Universidade de Taubaté, Taubaté, São Paulo, Brazil.
Insights
Childhood pneumonia hospitalizations are linked to air pollution exposure, specifically carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3). Reducing these pollutants could prevent hospital admissions and save costs.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Air pollution is a significant factor contributing to childhood pneumonia hospitalizations.
- These hospitalizations incur substantial financial and social costs.
- Understanding the specific role of air pollutants is crucial for public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between exposure to specific air pollutants and hospital admissions for pneumonia in children up to 10 years of age.
- To quantify the potential impact of reducing air pollutant concentrations on hospitalizations and healthcare costs.
Main Methods:
- An ecological time series study was conducted in São José dos Campos, Brazil, using 2012 data.
- Generalized additive models of Poisson regression analyzed daily hospitalizations and pollutant levels (CO, O3, PM10, SO2), temperature, and humidity.
- Relative risks, population-attributable fractions, and cost savings were calculated for pollutant exposure lags of 0-5 days.
Main Results:
- A total of 539 pneumonia hospital admissions were recorded.
- Exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3) showed a significant association with increased hospitalizations.
- No association was found between particulate matter (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and pneumonia hospitalizations.
Conclusions:
- Exposure to specific air pollutants, including CO and O3, adversely affects children's respiratory health, leading to hospitalizations.
- Implementing public policies to reduce emissions of harmful air pollutants is essential for protecting children's health.
- Reducing CO and O3 concentrations could prevent approximately 49 hospitalizations and save R$ 39,000.00 annually.
Context And 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.
Design And Setting:
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.
Conclusion:
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.
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