Skip to main content
NCBI home page
American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 1996 Sep;86(9):1273–1280. doi: 10.2105/ajph.86.9.1273

Low-level air pollution and hospital admissions for cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases in Helsinki.

A Pönkä 1, M Virtanen 1
PMCID: PMC1380591  PMID: 8806380

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated whether low concentrations of ambient air pollutants are associated with hospital admissions for ischemic cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases. METHODS: Associations between daily concentrations of sulfur dioxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and particulates and daily hospital admissions due to ischemic cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases were studied in Helsinki, Finland, 1987 through 1989. The regression analyses controlled for weather, day of the week, season, long-term trends, and influenza epidemics. RESULTS: Admissions via emergency rooms due to ischemic cardiac diseases (n = 7005) were significantly associated with the prevailing levels of nitric oxide and ozone, and those due to cerebrovascular diseases (n = 3737) were associated with nitrogen dioxide; these levels were only moderate. Long-term transient myocardial ischemic attacks were related to particulates, and short-term ischemic attacks were related to nitrogen dioxide. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms of ischemic cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases may be provoked by pollutants in concentrations lower than those given as guidelines in many countries and lower than previously shown.

Full text

PDF
1273

Images in this article

1274FIGURE 1
on p.1274

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Anderson H. R., Limb E. S., Bland J. M., Ponce de Leon A., Strachan D. P., Bower J. S. Health effects of an air pollution episode in London, December 1991. Thorax. 1995 Nov;50(11):1188–1193. doi: 10.1136/thx.50.11.1188. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Buechley R. W., Riggan W. B., Hasselblad V., VanBruggen J. B. SO2 levels and perturbations in mortality. A study in the New York-New Jersey metropolis. Arch Environ Health. 1973 Sep;27(3):134–137. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1973.10666341. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Burnett R. T., Dales R., Krewski D., Vincent R., Dann T., Brook J. R. Associations between ambient particulate sulfate and admissions to Ontario hospitals for cardiac and respiratory diseases. Am J Epidemiol. 1995 Jul 1;142(1):15–22. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a117540. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Derriennic F., Richardson S., Mollie A., Lellouch J. Short-term effects of sulphur dioxide pollution on mortality in two French cities. Int J Epidemiol. 1989 Mar;18(1):186–197. doi: 10.1093/ije/18.1.186. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dockery D. W., Schwartz J., Spengler J. D. Air pollution and daily mortality: associations with particulates and acid aerosols. Environ Res. 1992 Dec;59(2):362–373. doi: 10.1016/s0013-9351(05)80042-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fairley D. The relationship of daily mortality to suspended particulates in Santa Clara County, 1980-1986. Environ Health Perspect. 1990 Nov;89:159–168. doi: 10.1289/ehp.9089159. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Katsouyanni K., Karakatsani A., Messari I., Touloumi G., Hatzakis A., Kalandidi A., Trichopoulos D. Air pollution and cause specific mortality in Athens. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1990 Dec;44(4):321–324. doi: 10.1136/jech.44.4.321. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kinney P. L., Ozkaynak H. Associations of daily mortality and air pollution in Los Angeles County. Environ Res. 1991 Apr;54(2):99–120. doi: 10.1016/s0013-9351(05)80094-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kunst A. E., Looman C. W., Mackenbach J. P. Outdoor air temperature and mortality in The Netherlands: a time-series analysis. Am J Epidemiol. 1993 Feb 1;137(3):331–341. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a116680. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. LOGAN W. P. D. Mortality in the London fog incident, 1952. Lancet. 1953 Feb 14;1(6755):336–338. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(53)91012-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Mazumdar S., Schimmel H., Higgins I. T. Relation of daily mortality to air pollution: an analysis of 14 London winters, 1958/59-1971/72. Arch Environ Health. 1982 Jul-Aug;37(4):213–220. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1982.10667567. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Mazumdar S., Sussman N. Relationships of air pollution to health: results from the Pittsburgh study. Arch Environ Health. 1983 Jan-Feb;38(1):17–24. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1983.10543974. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Morris R. D., Naumova E. N., Munasinghe R. L. Ambient air pollution and hospitalization for congestive heart failure among elderly people in seven large US cities. Am J Public Health. 1995 Oct;85(10):1361–1365. doi: 10.2105/ajph.85.10.1361. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Pope C. A., 3rd, Schwartz J., Ransom M. R. Daily mortality and PM10 pollution in Utah Valley. Arch Environ Health. 1992 May-Jun;47(3):211–217. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1992.9938351. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Pönkä A., Virtanen M. Chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and low-level air pollution in Helsinki, 1987-1989. Environ Res. 1994 May;65(2):207–217. doi: 10.1006/enrs.1994.1032. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Rogot E., Padgett S. J. Associations of coronary and stroke mortality with temperature and snowfall in selected areas of the United States, 1962-1966. Am J Epidemiol. 1976 Jun;103(6):565–575. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112261. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rose G. Cold weather and ischaemic heart disease. Br J Prev Soc Med. 1966 Apr;20(2):97–100. doi: 10.1136/jech.20.2.97. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Schwartz J. Air pollution and daily mortality in Birmingham, Alabama. Am J Epidemiol. 1993 May 15;137(10):1136–1147. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a116617. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Schwartz J., Dockery D. W. Increased mortality in Philadelphia associated with daily air pollution concentrations. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1992 Mar;145(3):600–604. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/145.3.600. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Schwartz J., Dockery D. W. Particulate air pollution and daily mortality in Steubenville, Ohio. Am J Epidemiol. 1992 Jan 1;135(1):12–25. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a116195. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Schwartz J., Marcus A. Mortality and air pollution in London: a time series analysis. Am J Epidemiol. 1990 Jan;131(1):185–194. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a115473. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Schwartz J., Morris R. Air pollution and hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease in Detroit, Michigan. Am J Epidemiol. 1995 Jul 1;142(1):23–35. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a117541. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Schwartz J. Particulate air pollution and daily mortality in Detroit. Environ Res. 1991 Dec;56(2):204–213. doi: 10.1016/s0013-9351(05)80009-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Schwartz J. What are people dying of on high air pollution days? Environ Res. 1994 Jan;64(1):26–35. doi: 10.1006/enrs.1994.1004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Schwartz J., Wypij D., Dockery D., Ware J., Zeger S., Spengler J., Ferris B., Jr Daily diaries of respiratory symptoms and air pollution: methodological issues and results. Environ Health Perspect. 1991 Jan;90:181–187. doi: 10.1289/ehp.90-1519478. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Spix C., Heinrich J., Dockery D., Schwartz J., Völksch G., Schwinkowski K., Cöllen C., Wichmann H. E. Air pollution and daily mortality in Erfurt, east Germany, 1980-1989. Environ Health Perspect. 1993 Nov;101(6):518–526. doi: 10.1289/ehp.93101518. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Steiger H., Brockhaus A. Untersuchungen über den Zusammenhang zwischen Luftverunreinigungen und Mortalität im Ruhrgebiet. Naturwissenschaften. 1966 Oct;53(19):498–498. doi: 10.1007/BF00622983. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Wichmann H. E., Mueller W., Allhoff P., Beckmann M., Bocter N., Csicsaky M. J., Jung M., Molik B., Schoeneberg G. Health effects during a smog episode in West Germany in 1985. Environ Health Perspect. 1989 Feb;79:89–99. doi: 10.1289/ehp.897989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Xu X., Gao J., Dockery D. W., Chen Y. Air pollution and daily mortality in residential areas of Beijing, China. Arch Environ Health. 1994 Jul-Aug;49(4):216–222. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1994.9937470. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from American Journal of Public Health are provided here courtesy of American Public Health Association

RESOURCES