Acute effects of urban and industrial pollution in a government-designated “Environmental risk area”: the case of Brindisi, Italy

Abstract

Exposure to air pollutants has been associated with increased hospital admissions (HAs) for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. This work describes a short-term epidemiological study in Brindisi, a highly industrialized town in Southern Italy. The effects of daily exposure to PM₁₀ and NO₂ on daily HAs for cardiac, respiratory, and cerebrovascular diseases were investigated by means of a case-crossover design in the period 2001–2007. Results showed positive associations between PM₁₀ and HAs for cardiac and respiratory diseases and between NO₂ and HAs for all the categories of diseases considered, particularly among females. Although not statistically significant, increased risk was observed for wind blowing from the port and the industrial area. Findings confirm the health risks associated with ambient air pollution exposure, even though NO₂ and PM₁₀ concentrations were below the legal limits. This may be due to the complex scenario of emissions in the area, which should be better investigated.

Keywords:

• air pollution
• Brindisi
• case-crossover
• wind direction
• sex differences

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the Local Health Unit (ASL Brindisi) for supplying the health data and the Province of Brindisi for supplying environmental data. We wish to thank Alison Frank for assistance in revising and editing the English manuscript.