Particulate pollution and health: a review of the Utah valley experience.

摘要: Utah Valley has provided an interesting and unique opportunity to evaluate the health effects of respirable particulate pollution (PM10) for several reasons. (1) It moderately high average PM10 levels, during low-level temperature inversion episodes, local emissions may become trapped in a stagnant air mass near valley floor, resulting highly elevated concentrations. (2) The experienced intermittent operation integrated steel mill, largest single source. (3) residents have very low smoking rates. (4) Levels sulfur dioxide, ozone, aerosol strong acidity are relatively low. Several studies specific evaluated associations between various indicators pollution. Each these individual limitations imposed by data analytic constraints. Taken together, however, they suggest coherence or cascade across end points location population. Apparent observed include: 1) decreased lung function; 2) increased incidence respiratory symptoms; 3) school absenteeism; 4) hospital admissions; 5) mortality, especially cardiovascular mortality; 6) possibly cancer. This paper reviews evaluates possibility that overall due primarily methodological bias confounding inadequate controls risk factors such as smoking, weather, season, infectious agents, socioeconomic distress.