A case-crossover study of ambient particulate matter and cardiovascular and respiratory medical encounters among us military personnel deployed to Southwest Asia

摘要

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of ambient particulate matter (PM) on acute cardiorespiratory morbidity among US military personnel in southwest Asia. METHODS: We linked ambient PM data collected between December 2005 and June 2007 with personnel, medical, and meteorological data. We implemented a case-crossover analysis to estimate base-specific associations and pooled those estimates using meta-analytic methods. RESULTS: The adjusted odds ratios for a 10-μg/m increase in ambient PM2.5 and a qualifying medical encounter were 0.92 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.77 to 1.11) and 1.01 (95% CI: 0.95 to 1.07) for the current (lag-0) and previous (lag-1) days. The estimates for a 10-μg/m increase in PM10 were 0.99 (95% CI: 0.97 to 1.03) at lag-0, and 1.00 (95% CI: 0.97 to 1.02) at lag-1. CONCLUSIONS: No statistically significant associations between PM and cardiorespiratory outcomes were observed in this young, relatively healthy, deployed military population.