Fine particulate matter components and emergency department visits among a privately insured population in Greater Houston.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Delclos GL ; Franzini L ; Ganduglia CM ; Li X ; Liu S ; Zhang K
• Description:
  Although adverse health effects of PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5µm) mass have been extensively studied, it remains unclear regarding which PM2.5 components are most harmful. No studies have reported the associations between PM2.5 components and adverse health effects among a privately insured population. In our study, we estimated the short-term associations between exposure to PM2.5 components and emergency department (ED) visits for all-cause and cause-specific diseases in Greater Houston, Texas, during 2008-2013 using ED visit data extracted from a private insurance company (Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas [BCBSTX]). A total of 526,453 ED visits were included in our assessment, with an average of 236 (+/- 63) visits per day. We selected 20 PM2.5 components from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Chemical Speciation Network site located in Houston, and then applied Poisson regression models to assess the previously mentioned associations. Interquartile range increases in bromine (0.003µg/m(3)), potassium (0.048µg/m(3)), sodium ion (0.306µg/m(3)), and sulfate (1.648µg/m(3)) were statistically significantly associated with the increased risks in total ED of 0.71% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.06, 1.37%), 0.71% (95% CI: 0.21, 1.22%), 1.28% (95% CI: 0.34, 2.24%), and 1.22% (95% CI: 0.23, 2.23%), respectively. Seasonal analysis suggested strongest associations occurred during the warm season. Our findings suggest that a privately insured population, presumably healthier than the general population, may be still at risk of adverse health effects due to exposure to ambient PM2.5 components. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution Emergency Responders Environmental Exposure Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Fine Particulate Matter; Components; Emergency Department Visits; Poisson Regression; Species; Time Series Particulates; Particle Size; Air Contaminants; Air Pollution; Environmental Exposure; Health Care; Emergency Treatment; Seasonal Factors; Climatic Factors;
• ISSN:
  0048-9697
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  566
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065418
• Citation:
  Sci Total Environ 2016 Oct; 566-567:521-527
• Contact Point Address:
  Kai Zhang, Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
• Email:
  kai.zhang@uth.tmc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Science of the Total Environment
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c7ca9eb29b87dea9de3eee6e20c2544796dc5b67d7ec3c4932a7bbe18d33dd6879e0341b7cb73287a74382a02a0709b53b7a1a14cb3dd98ebdc709801d3a3fdd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/248889/cdc_248889_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 598.98 KB ]