Local air pollutants raise asthma-related ED visit rate, may contribute to disparities
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Key takeaways:
- Researchers observed higher incidence of asthma-related ED visits with PM2.5, PM10 and sulfur dioxide.
- In areas with more Black and Latino or Hispanic individuals, pollution may contribute to more ED visits.
Asthma-related ED visit rates rose with exposure to local fine particulate matter, coarse particulate matter and sulfur dioxide, according to results published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Additionally, the incidence risk for asthma-related ED visits among Black and Latino or Hispanic residents went down following adjustment for four pollutants, according to researchers.
“We know the placement of highways and industry in East Austin contributes to greater local air pollution, and this research points to the consequences that [they] may have for racial and ethnic health disparities,” Sarah E. Chambliss, MSE, PhD, research associate in the department of population health at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a press release.
In a retrospective, cross-sectional ecologic study, Chambliss and colleagues analyzed average levels of PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide in census tracts within the five-county Austin metropolitan area for 2016 to 2017 (n = 1.97 million) to determine the link between pollution levels and asthma-related ED visit incidence rates through generalized linear models adjusted for socioeconomic and housing covariates.
In the same models, researchers also evaluated how racial/ethnic composition of the area is related to asthma-related ED incidence rates.
Between 2016 and 2017, 15,684 asthma-related ED visits were recorded.
Researchers noted low overall pollution levels in the assessed area when compared with levels of major U.S. cities, as well as small variation between the neighborhoods.
Besides nitrogen dioxide, average levels of each of the remaining pollutants heightened the population-based incidence rate (PBIR) of asthma-related ED visits. The greatest increase in PBIRs with one standard deviation increment of the pollutant was found with sulfur dioxide (0.2 ppb) at 32%, followed by PM10 (3 µg/m3) at 30% and PM2.5 (0.7 µg/m3) at 22%.
Only two pollutants had a significant link to the incidence risk ratio of asthma-related ED visits in a model that looked at all four pollutants at once: PM10 and sulfur dioxide.
Of the various racial/ethnic groups living in the Austin metropolitan area, white individuals more often reside in places with lower pollution levels, according to researchers.
When evaluating which racial/ethnic groups live in the neighborhoods with higher pollution levels (upper quartiles of nitrogen dioxide, PM10 and sulfur dioxide), researchers found more Black and Latino or Hispanic individuals vs. white individuals.
In addition to this finding, increased shares of Black and Latino or Hispanic residents by 10% in census tracts raised the incidence risk for asthma-related ED visits (Black, IRR = 1.51; 95% CI, 1.48-1.54; Latino or Hispanic, IRR = 1.12; 95% CI, 1.1-1.14).
After controlling for air pollution, researchers found decreased incidence risk ratios of asthma-related ED visits among Black residents (IRR = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.39-1.42) and Latino or Hispanic residents (IRR = 1.08; 95% CI, 1.06-1.1).
“These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to mitigate pollution in neighborhoods with higher asthma burdens, especially where Black and [Latino or Hispanic] people live,” Elizabeth C. Matsui, MD, MHS, professor of population health and pediatrics, and director of the Center for Health & Environment: Education and Research at Dell Medical School, said in the release.
Reference:
- Air pollution in Austin neighborhoods linked to asthma disparities, UT study finds. https://dellmed.utexas.edu/news/air-pollution-in-austin-neighborhoods-linked-to-asthma-disparities-ut-study-finds. Published March 18, 2024. Accessed March 20, 2024.