Air pollution and the demand for hospital services: a review

Authors

Adam M. Wilson, University of New Hampshire, Durham
Jeffrey Colman Salloway, University of New HampshireFollow
Cameron P. Wake, University of New Hampshire - Main CampusFollow
Tom Kelly, University of New Hampshire - Main CampusFollow

Abstract

Time-series studies published since 1993 on the association between short-term changes in air quality and use of hospital services, including both inpatient and emergency room use, are reviewed. The use of nonparametric analysis, often incorporating generalized additive models (GAMs), has increased greatly since the early 1990s. There have also been three major multi-city studies, which together analyzed data from well over 100 cities in Europe and North America. Various air pollutants, especially ozone (O₃), particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and sulfur dioxide (SO₂), were generally found to be significantly associated with increased use of hospital services. Ozone tends to have stronger effects in the summer during periods of higher concentrations. Several studies revealed synergistic effects between pollutants such as PM and SO₂. Overall, short-term exposure to air pollutants is found to be an important predictor of increased hospital and emergency room use around the world.

Department

Earth Sciences, Earth Systems Research Center

Publication Date

10-2004

Journal Title

Environmental International

Publisher

Elsevier

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1016/j.envint.2004.01.004

Document Type

Article

Recommended Citation

Adam M. Wilson, Jeffrey C. Salloway, Cameron P. Wake, Tom Kelly, Air pollution and the demand for hospital services: a review, Environment International, Volume 30, Issue 8, October 2004, Pages 1109-1118, ISSN 0160-4120, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2004.01.004.

Rights

Copyright © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.