Relationship Between Air Pollution And Childhood Respiratory Health In Shihezi

Air pollution may exert influence on childhood respiratory health. Findings of domestic and international research on this issue are not consistent and the number of relevant study in China is limited. This research was conducted in Shihezi and its objectives are to examine the short-term effects of ambient air pollution on emergency hospital admissions for childhood respiratory diseases and to investigate relationship between indoor air pollution and childhood asthma.The data of ambient air pollutants, meteorologic conditions and hospitalizations for childhood respiratory diseases from January 2013 to May 2014 in urban area of Shihezi were collected. Generalized additive models of Poisson regression were used to estimate the effects of daily air pollution on daily hospital admissions and the confounding factors,time trend,weather conditions, were adjusted by non-parametric smooth function. Case-control study was conducted to analyze the relationship between indoor air and asthma from October 2013 to April 2014 in Shihezi. Indoor concentrations of formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, benzene series from 100 cases and 78 control were detected and questionnaire on subjects and family history and potential risk factors for asthma were collected. Then, multiple non-conditional Logistic regression was performed to investigate the relationship between risk factors and children asthma.The average concentrations of PM10, NO2, SO2, and O3 were 125, 54, 22, and 47 μg/m3,respectively. The over standard rate were 25%, 21%, 0%, and 9% respectively. Results suggested that per 10 μg/m3 increase in NO2 concentration was significantly associated with daily emergency visits, the maximum relative risks for total respiratory, asthmatic bronchitis,and asthma were 1.05, 1.04, and 1.06, respectively. No observation was found between other pollutants and hospitalizations. Results from case-control study suggested indoor average concentrations of formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, benzene, and toluene were 78, 45, 18, and29 μg/m3,respectively. The over standard rates of formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide were21% and 1% and concentrations of other indoor pollutants were much lower than national air standard. Family history, allergic history, toluene, and benzene series appeared to be significant factors to asthma with the odd ratios of 25, 6, 9, and 8, respectively. No significant relationship was found between other pollutants and asthma.Nitrogen dioxide has effects on hospitalizations for childhood respiratory diseases, and family history, allergic history, toluene, and benzene series were potential risk factors for childhood asthma. The research can provide a theoretical basis for police-making and the protection of local respiratory susceptible children.