Acute Effects of Ambient Air Pollution on Lower Respiratory Infections in Guangzhou Children of China

Abstract

Daily concentrations of air pollution are associated with lower respiratory diseases. We investigated the short-term association of ambient air pollution with daily hospital admissions due to pneumonia among children aged 0−17 in Guangzhou city of China. Ambient air pollutants were all positively associated with children hospital admissions due to pneumonia of all ages. Significant associations were found for air pollutants except for inhalable particulate matter (PM) \(\le\)10 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10) in children of all ages. Increments of an interquartile range (IQR) (279.10µg/m3 and 28.42µg/m3, respectively) in the 7-day-average level of carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were associated with a 26.17% (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.40%-56.98%) and 25.09% (95%CI 0.54%-55.64%) increase in pneumonia hospitalizations for children aged 6−17, respectively. An IQR increase in CO concentrations was associated with a 15.15% (95%CI 4.34%-27.08%) increase in pneumonia hospitalizations for children aged 1−5. Daily cases of microbial detection for pneumonia were positively associated with daily NO2 concentration. The pneumonia hospitalizations due to Mycoplasma pneumonia, Flu A virus and Flu B virus, the predominant pathogenic microorganisms detected in children aged 0−5 are apparently associated with levels of PMs, CO, NO2 and O3.