Air particulate pollution due to bushfires and respiratory hospital admissions in Brisbane, Australia

Abstract

To examine the impact of bushfire smoke on hospital admission rates for respiratory disease, a time series study was conducted in Brisbane, Australia. Data on particles of 10 microns or less in aerodynamic diameter (PM₁₀) per cubic metre, bushfire events, meteorological conditions, and daily respiratory hospital admissions were obtained for the period of 1 July 1997 to 31 December 2000. A generalized linear model with the negative binomial distribution was used to estimate the effects of bushfire smoke on respiratory hospital admissions. The results of this study show that daily respiratory hospital admission rates consistently increased with increasing levels of PM₁₀ for both bushfire and non-bushfire periods. This relationship appeared stronger during bushfire periods than non-bushfire periods, especially for the current day. The findings suggest that bushfire smoke was statistically significantly associated with an increased risk of respiratory hospital admissions in Brisbane (p < 0.05). The health impact assessment needs to be considered in the control and management of bushfires.

Keywords:

• Air pollution
• bushfire
• particulate matter
• respiratory hospital admissions
• time series study
• generalized linear model
• negative binomial distribution
• relative risk

Acknowledgements

We thank the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency, Queensland Health, Department of Emergency Service, Brisbane City Council and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology for providing the data for this study. We would also like to thank Jessica Howie for her assistance in data collection. Assoc. Prof. Shilu Tong is supported by an NHMRC research fellowship. The study was funded by the Australian Research Council, Queensland Environmental Protection Agency and Queensland Health.