The relationship of respiratory and cardiovascular hospital admissions to the southern California wildfires of 2003.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

There is limited information on the public health impact of wildfires. The relationship of cardiorespiratory hospital admissions (n = 40 856) to wildfire-related particulate matter (PM(2.5)) during catastrophic wildfires in southern California in October 2003 was evaluated.

Methods

Zip code level PM(2.5) concentrations were estimated using spatial interpolations from measured PM(2.5), light extinction, meteorological conditions, and smoke information from MODIS satellite images at 250 m resolution. Generalised estimating equations for Poisson data were used to assess the relationship between daily admissions and PM(2.5), adjusted for weather, fungal spores (associated with asthma), weekend, zip code-level population and sociodemographics.

Results

Association

SUBMITTER: Delfino RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4176821 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature