Table 3.

Associations of cardiovascular ED visits and ambient pollutants in St. Louis, 1 June 2001–30 April 2003.^a

Pollutant	IQR	CVDbRR (95% CI)	Ischemic heart disease RR (95% CI)	Dysrhythmia RR (95% CI)	Congestive heart failure RR (95% CI)
Fine particles and components
24-hr avg PM2.5	11.1 μg/m3	0.999 (0.981, 1.016)	1.005 (0.975, 1.036)	0.999 (0.961, 1.039)	1.015 (0.980, 1.051)
Major ions
24-hr avg SO42–	3.2 μg/m3	1.000 (0.986, 1.014)	1.004 (0.980, 1.028)	1.007 (0.977, 1.038)	1.008 (0.980, 1.036)
24-hr avg NO3–	2.3 μg/m3	1.002 (0.981, 1.024)	1.020 (0.983, 1.058)	1.009 (0.963, 1.057)	1.007 (0.967, 1.050)
Carbon
24-hr avg OC	2.4 μg/m3	1.015 (0.997, 1.033)*	1.009 (0.979, 1.041)	1.002 (0.965, 1.042)	1.036 (1.001, 1.072)**
24-hr avg EC	0.42 μg/m3	1.016 (1.002, 1.030)**	1.003 (0.979, 1.028)	1.010 (0.980, 1.041)	1.042 (1.014, 1.070)**
n-Alkanes
24-hr avg Oct	0.77 ng/m3	1.001 (0.994, 1.007)	1.001 (0.989, 1.012)	0.988 (0.974, 1.002)*	1.008 (0.995, 1.020)
24-hr avg Non	1.98 ng/m3	0.998 (0.989, 1.007)	1.001 (0.985, 1.017)	0.987 (0.968, 1.007)	1.002 (0.985, 1.020)
Hopanes
24-hr avg Nor	0.43 ng/m3	1.013 (0.998, 1.028)*	1.021 (0.995, 1.047)	0.989 (0.958, 1.021)	1.023 (0.994, 1.052)
24-hr avg Hop	0.24 ng/m3	1.012 (1.000, 1.025)*	1.011 (0.989, 1.033)	1.003 (0.976, 1.030)	1.023 (0.999, 1.048)*
PAHs
24-hr avg Chry	0.39 ng/m3	1.005 (0.991, 1.020)	1.001 (0.976, 1.026)	1.002 (0.971, 1.034)	1.013 (0.985, 1.041)
24-hr avg BbkF	0.61 ng/m3	1.007 (0.993, 1.020)	1.003 (0.980, 1.027)	0.996 (0.967, 1.025)	1.021 (0.995, 1.047)
24-hr avg BaP	0.19 ng/m3	1.001 (0.994, 1.008)	0.999 (0.987, 1.010)	0.998 (0.983, 1.013)	1.007 (0.994, 1.020)
24-hr avg IcdP	0.27 ng/m3	1.006 (0.995, 1.018)	1.004 (0.985, 1.023)	1.001 (0.977, 1.024)	1.018 (0.996, 1.040)
Metals and metalloids
24-hr avg Si	70.2 ng/m3	0.995 (0.991, 0.999)**	0.993 (0.985, 1.000)**	0.994 (0.984, 1.004)	0.998 (0.990, 1.007)
24-hr avg K	35.5 ng/m3	0.996 (0.987, 1.006)	0.988 (0.972, 1.004)	0.997 (0.976, 1.018)	1.002 (0.983, 1.022)
24-hr avg Ca	86.0 ng/m3	0.994 (0.980, 1.009)	0.981 (0.957, 1.005)	0.996 (0.966, 1.028)	1.021 (0.993, 1.050)
24-hr avg Fe	85.9 ng/m3	0.989 (0.978, 1.001)*	0.977 (0.958, 0.996)**	0.996 (0.971, 1.021)	1.006 (0.984, 1.029)
24-hr avg Cu	21.9 ng/m3	1.001 (0.994, 1.008)	1.004 (0.992, 1.016)	0.999 (0.983, 1.015)	0.994 (0.980, 1.008)
24-hr avg Zn	37.9 ng/m3	1.005 (0.998, 1.013)	1.006 (0.993, 1.018)	0.994 (0.978, 1.010)	1.017 (1.003, 1.031)**
24-hr avg Pb	14.1 ng/m3	1.001 (0.995, 1.007)	0.999 (0.989, 1.010)	1.003 (0.990, 1.017)	0.997 (0.985, 1.009)
Criteria gases
8-hr max O3	28.3 ppb	0.990 (0.953, 1.027)	0.989 (0.928, 1.054)	1.001 (0.922, 1.087)	1.057 (0.982, 1.139)
1-hr max CO	0.7 ppm	1.005 (0.991, 1.018)	1.008 (0.985, 1.031)	1.003 (0.974, 1.032)	1.015 (0.989, 1.041)
1-hr max NO2	12.0 ppb	1.010 (0.990, 1.030)	1.018 (0.985, 1.053)	1.027 (0.984, 1.072)	1.011 (0.973, 1.050)
1-hr max SO2	24.0 ppb	1.006 (0.997, 1.015)	0.998 (0.982, 1.014)	1.016 (0.996, 1.037)	1.006 (0.988, 1.024)
Abbreviations: avg, average; max, maximum. aAll results from primary 3-day (lags 0–2) distributed lag models, with indicator variables to control for day-of-week, holidays, and to account for one hospital not providing data after 26 April 2002; cubic splines for day of visit with monthly knots; cubic spline for lag 0 maximum temperature with knots placed at the 25th and 75th percentiles; and cubic terms for 1- to 2-day moving-average minimum temperature and 0- to 2-day moving-average dew point temperature. bCVD outcome included visits for ischemic heart disease (ICD-9 codes 410–414), cardiac dysrhythmia (ICD-9 code 427), congestive heart failure (ICD-9 code 428), and other CVD (ICD-9 codes 433–437, 440, 443–445, 451–453; i.e., peripheral and cerebrovascular diseases). *0.05 ≤ p < 0.10. **p < 0.05.