Factors Associated with Persistent Lower Respiratory Symptoms or Asthma among Residents Exposed to a Sulphur Stockpile Fire Incident (original) (raw)
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Acute effect of sulphur dioxide from a power plant on pulmonary function of children, Thailand
Epidemiological studies have shown a short-term, reversible decline of lung function among children in response to air pollution. 1-5 Inhalable particles have been frequently shown to be associated with adverse health effects, but epidemiological studies of short-term exposure and respiratory health still provide inconclusive evidence of an independent effect of sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) on the health of children. Some studies demonstrated pulmonary function changes and an increase in respiratory symptoms, 6-9 whereas other studies failed to show an adverse effect. Epidemiological studies on the independent relationship between SO 2 and respiratory effects are typically limited by the high correlation between SO 2 and particulate air pollution. Most previous panel studies on the acute effect of short-term air pollution exposure on respiratory health were conducted in cold weather countries and were subject to some limitations on exposure assessment. In cold countries, children usually spend Background Epidemiological studies have shown reversible declines of lung function in response to air pollution, but research on the independent effect of short-term exposure to ambient sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) on pulmonary function is limited. This study evaluated the association of short-term exposure to increased ambient SO 2 and daily pulmonary function changes among children with and without asthma.
Jurnal Kesehatan Lingkungan/Jurnal kesehatan lingkungan, 2024
Introduction: Sulfur dioxide (SO 2) is one of the gases that can pollute the ambient air and cause respiratory irritation. This study aims to determine the characterization of health risk and risk management of sulfur dioxide (SO 2) exposure to prevent health impact in the Tirtonirmolo community, Bantul. Methods: This study was a quantitative descriptive research with an Environmental Health Risk Analysis (EHRA) approach. The study subjects were the Tirtonirmolo community in Bantul, with a sample of 110 respondents. The sampling method uses purposive sampling. Results and Discussion: Most respondents are female (74%) with ages over 54 years (52%), and the majority work as housewives (44%). The description of EHRA variables consists of an inhalation rate of 0.83 m 3 /hour, exposure time of 22 hours/day, exposure frequency of 354 days/year, and exposure duration for real-time projections of 35 years and 30 years for lifetime projections. The SO 2 measurement results did not exceed the national quality standard, with the highest concentration being on Madukismo Road, with a concentration of 11.72 μg/m 3. The dose-response analysis uses data from the US-EPA, which is 0.026 mg/kg/ day. The real-time average intake value is 0.0039 mg/kg/day, and the 30-year lifetime average intake value is 0.0033 mg/kg/day. Conclusion: All respondents from this study had an RQ value<1, both in the RQ for real-time and lifetime. Risk management needs to reduce health risk by using masks when doing outdoor activities and installing Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) in factories that emit SO 2 emissions.
Health effects of a sulphur dioxide air pollution episode
Journal of Public Health, 2003
Background A sulphur dioxide (SO 2) episode occurred in the United Kingdom in 1998. The worst affected area was the city of Nottingham. Methods Emergency hospital admissions in Nottingham in the episode week were compared with those in the previous week. Results A statistically significant increase in admissions for all respiratory diseases occurred in the episode week (odds ratio (OR) ϭ 1.40, 95 per cent confidence interval (CI) ϭ 1.00-1.94). Ten of the 25 excess admissions were for asthma, although the excess for asthma alone was not statistically significant (OR ϭ 1.90, 95 per cent CI ϭ 0.87-4.15). Conclusions The excess admissions for respiratory diseases could have been caused by exposure to SO 2 , to other pollutants present in increased concentrations during the pollution episode, or by seasonal variations in the frequency of asthma symptoms, or prevailing weather conditions. This study shows how simple analyses of routinely collected health data can be used to assess public health impacts of pollution episodes.
Incidence of asthma among workers exposed to sulphur dioxide and other irritant gases
European Respiratory Journal, 2006
The aim of the present study was to investigate whether repeated peak exposure (gassings) to sulphur dioxide (SO 2) and other irritant gases increases the risk of new-onset asthma. A questionnaire was sent to 4,112 sulphite workers, of whom 1,919 completed the questionnaire and 396 completed the short-form questionnaire, which was sent out as a last reminder. A sample of 130 nonrespondents completed a telephone interview using the short-form questionnaire. The incidence of adult-onset, physician-diagnosed asthma during employment duration was analysed in relation to exposure to SO 2 and gassings giving rise to respiratory symptoms. Incidence rates, as well as incidence rate ratios with 95% confidence interval (CI), were calculated. Further Cox regression models were used allowing assessment of hazard ratios (HR) stratified for sex and adjusted for atopy, smoking habits and age. The incidence rate for asthma among sulphite mill workers reporting gassings of SO 2 was 6.2 out of 1,000 person-yrs, compared with 1.9 out of 1,000 person-yrs among subjects unexposed to SO 2 and any gassings (HR (95% CI) 4.0 (2.1-7.7)). Among males reporting gassings to SO 2 , the HR (95% CI) for asthma was 5.8 (2.6-13) compared with unexposed males. In conclusion, repeated peak exposure to sulphur dioxide increased the incidence of asthma during work in sulphite pulp mills, which supports the hypothesis of irritant-induced asthma.
Environmental Pollution, 2018
Ambient air pollution has been associated with adverse respiratory outcomes, especially among children with asthma. This study reports on associations between daily ambient air pollutant concentrations and the respiratory symptoms of schoolchildren living in Durban, South Africa. This city is Africa's busiest port and a key hub for imported crude oil and exported refined petroleum and petrochemical products, and it experiences a mixture of air pollutants that reflects emissions from industry, traffic and biomass burning. Children in four communities in the highly industrialized southern portion of the city were compared to children of similar socioeconomic profiles living in the north of the city. One school was selected in each community. A total of 423 children were recruited. Symptom logs were completed every 1.5 to 2 hours over 3-week period in each of four seasons. Ambient concentrations of NO 2 , NO, SO 2 , CO, O 3 , PM 2.5 and PM 10 were measured throughout the study. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and assess lag effects (1 to 5 days) using single pollutant (single lags or distributed lags) models. Concentrations of SO 2 and NO x were markedly higher in the south, while PM 10 did not vary. Significant increase in the odds ratios of cough were identified for the various lags analyzed. The OR of symptoms was further increased among those living in the south compared to the north. In conclusion, in this analysis of over 70000 observations, we provide further evidence that exposure to PM 10 , SO 2 , NO 2 and NO is associated with significantly increased occurrence of respiratory symptoms among children. This was evident for cough, shortness of breath, and chest tightness, across the four pollutants and for different lags of exposure. This is the first study describing these changes in sub-Saharan Africa.
Incidence of asthma among workers exposed to sulfur dioxide and other irritant gases
European Respiratory Journal, 2006
The aim of the present study was to investigate whether repeated peak exposure (gassings) to sulphur dioxide (SO 2) and other irritant gases increases the risk of new-onset asthma. A questionnaire was sent to 4,112 sulphite workers, of whom 1,919 completed the questionnaire and 396 completed the short-form questionnaire, which was sent out as a last reminder. A sample of 130 nonrespondents completed a telephone interview using the short-form questionnaire. The incidence of adult-onset, physician-diagnosed asthma during employment duration was analysed in relation to exposure to SO 2 and gassings giving rise to respiratory symptoms. Incidence rates, as well as incidence rate ratios with 95% confidence interval (CI), were calculated. Further Cox regression models were used allowing assessment of hazard ratios (HR) stratified for sex and adjusted for atopy, smoking habits and age. The incidence rate for asthma among sulphite mill workers reporting gassings of SO 2 was 6.2 out of 1,000 person-yrs, compared with 1.9 out of 1,000 person-yrs among subjects unexposed to SO 2 and any gassings (HR (95% CI) 4.0 (2.1-7.7)). Among males reporting gassings to SO 2 , the HR (95% CI) for asthma was 5.8 (2.6-13) compared with unexposed males. In conclusion, repeated peak exposure to sulphur dioxide increased the incidence of asthma during work in sulphite pulp mills, which supports the hypothesis of irritant-induced asthma.
Respiratory effects of sulphur dioxide: a hierarchical multicity analysis in the APHEA 2 study
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2003
Background: Sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) was associated with hospital admissions for asthma in children in the original APHEA study, but not with other respiratory admissions. Aims: To assess the association between daily levels of SO 2 and daily levels of respiratory admissions in a larger and more recent study. Methods: Time series of daily counts of hospital emergency admissions were constructed for asthma at ages 0-14 years and 15-64 years, COPD and asthma, and all respiratory admissions at ages 65+ years in the cities of Birmingham, London, Milan, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, and in the Netherlands for periods of varying duration between the years 1988 and 1997. A two stage hierarchical modelling approach was used. In the first stage generalised additive Poisson regression models were fitted in each city controlling for weather and season. These results were then combined across cities in a second stage ecological regression that looked at potential effect modifiers. Results: For an increase of 10 µg/m 3 of SO 2 the daily number of admissions for asthma in children increased 1.3% (95% CI 0.4% to 2.2%). Effect modification among cities by levels of other air pollutants or temperature was not found. The SO 2 effect disappeared after controlling for PM 10 or CO, but correlation among these pollutants was very high. Other respiratory admissions were not associated with SO 2 . Conclusion: SO 2 is associated with asthma admissions in children, indicating that reduction in current air pollution levels could lead to a decrease in the number of asthma admissions in children in Europe.
Health Endpoint Attributed to Sulfur Dioxide Air Pollutants
Jundishapur Journal of Health Sciences, 2015
Background: Sulfur dioxide is a colorless gas, released from burning of coal, high-sulfur coal, and diesel fuel. Sulfur dioxide harms human health by reacting with the moisture in the nose, nasal cavity and throat and this is the way by which it destroys the nerves in the respiratory system. Objectives: The aim of this study was to focus on identifying the effects associated with sulfur dioxide on health in Ahvaz, Iran. Materials and Methods: Data collections were performed by Ahvaz meteorological organization and the department of environment. Sampling was performed for 24 hours in four stations. Methods of sampling and analysis were according to US environmental protection agency (EPA) guideline. Afterwards, we processed the raw data including instruction set correction of averaging, coding and filtering by Excel software and then, the impact of meteorological parameters were converted as the input file to the AirQ model. Finally, we calculated the health effects of exposure to sulfur dioxide. Results: According to the findings, the concentration of sulfur dioxide in Ahvaz had an annual average of 51 μg/m 3. Sum of the numbers of hospital admissions for respiratory diseases attributed to sulfur dioxide was 25 cases in 2012. Approximately, 5% of the total hospital admissions for respiratory disease and respiratory mortality happened when sulfur dioxide concentration was more than 10 mg/m 3. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, this increase could be due to higher fuel consumption, usage of gasoline in vehicles, oil industry, and steel and heavy industries in Ahwaz. The risk of mortality and morbidity were detected at the current concentrations of air pollutants.
Tüberküloz ve toraks, 2003
Recent studies have associated short-term exposure to respirable particulate matter (PM(10)) and sulphur dioxide (SO(2)) with peak flow decrements, increased symptoms of respiratory irritation, increased use of asthma medications, and increased admission and hospitalization for asthma. To further delineate the association between SO(2), PM(10) exposure and asthmatic response, we compiled daily records of asthma emergency room visits from our hospital and data of meteorological conditions, SO(2) and PM(10) concentrations in Ankara area. Weekly averages of daily counts of emergency room visits for asthma were significantly associated with average weekly SO(2) and PM(10) exposure on previous week (r= 0.328, p= 0.017 and r= 0.355, p= 0.009 respectively). Admission to emergency room for asthma count was also negatively correlated with ambient temperature (r= -0.496, p= 0.0001) and strong wind existence (X(2)= 3.930, p= 0.047) on previous days. It was also positively correlated with ambie...