Health effects of ambient ultrafine particles – the project UFIREG
Authors:
Miroslav Dostál 1; Anna Pastorková 1; Stefanie Lanzinger 2; Alexandra Schneider 2; Susanne Bastian 3; Monika Senghaas 4; Ziva Erzen 5; Jiří Novák 6; Teťana Kolodnitska 7; Radim J. Šrám 1; Annette Peters 2
Authors‘ workplace:
Ústav experimentální medicíny AV ČR, Praha
1; Helmholtz Zentrum München, Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Neuherberg, Deutschland
2; Saxon State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology, State Department for Environmental and Agricultural Operations in Saxony, Dresden, Deutschland
3; Research Association Public Health Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Deutschland
4; The National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food, Celje, Slovenia
5; Český hydrometeorologický ústav, Praha
6; L. I. Medved‘s research center of preventive toxicology, food and chemical safety, Ministry of health, Chernivtsi, Ukraine (State enterprise)
7
Published in:
Čas. Lék. čes. 2015; 154: 176-180
Category:
Original Article
Overview
Background.
The project “Ultrafine particles – an evidence based contribution to the development of regional and European environmental and health policy” (UFIREG) started in July 2011 and ended in December 2014. It was implemented through the Central Europe Programme and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund. Five cities in four Central European countries participated in the study: Augsburg (Germany), Chernivtsi (Ukraine), Dresden (Germany), Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Prague (Czech Republic). The aim of the UFIREG project was to improve the knowledge base on possible health effects of ambient ultrafine particles (UFP) and to raise overall awareness of environmental and health care authorities and the population.
Methods.
Epidemiological studies in the frame of the UFIREG project have assessed the short-term effects of UFP on human mortality and morbidity, especially in relation to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Official statistics were used to determine the association between air pollution concentration and daily (cause-specific: respiratory and cardiovascular) hospital admissions and mortality. Associations of UFP levels and health effects were analysed for each city by use of Poisson regression models adjusting for a number of confounding factors.
Results.
Results on morbidity and mortality effects of UFP were heterogeneous across the five European cities investigated. Overall, an increase in respiratory hospital admissions and mortality could be detected for increases in UFP concentrations. Results on cardiovascular health were less conclusive.
Conclusion.
Further multi-centre studies such as UFIREG are needed preferably investigating several years in order to produce powerful results.
Keywords:
air pollution – ultrafine particles – cardiovascular – respiratory – hospital admissions – mortality
Sources
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Addictology Allergology and clinical immunology Angiology Audiology Clinical biochemistry Dermatology & STDs Paediatric gastroenterology Paediatric surgery Paediatric cardiology Paediatric neurology Paediatric ENT Paediatric psychiatry Paediatric rheumatology Diabetology Pharmacy Vascular surgery Pain managementArticle was published in
Journal of Czech Physicians
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