Incidence of Respiratory Symptoms and Chronic Diseases in a Non-Smoking Population as a Function of Long-Term Cumulative Exposure to Ambient Air Pollutants (AHSMOG Follow-Up Study)

摘要

Report studies associations between long-term exposures to three air pollutants and numerous health endpoints in a nonsmoking population of 6,340 California Seventh-Day Adventists. Ambient exposures were estimated from montioring, and questionnaires ascertained many other factors affecting exposures to air pollution. The pollutants studied were total suspended particulates (TSP), ozone and sulfur dioxide. The health endpoints studied included incidence and symptom severity of chronic bronchitis and asthma, all malignant neoplasms, respiratory neoplasms, myocardial infarction, and all natural cause mortality. Statistically significant elevated relative risks of chronic bronchitis, asthma, and malignant neoplasms in females were associated with exposures to TSP above several thresholds. Exposures above one ozone threshold were associated with elevated risks of asthma and respiratory neoplasms. There were no significant associations between sulfur dioxide exposures and health effects. The report contains drafts of five papers submitted to journals and a brief introduction to the papers.