A GIS Based Approach for Assessing the Association between Air Pollution and Asthma in New York State, USA

Amit K. Gorai, Francis Tuluri and Paul B. Tchounwou
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Amit K. Gorai: Environmental Science & Engineering Group, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi 835215, Jharkhand, India
Francis Tuluri: Department of Technology, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217, USA
Paul B. Tchounwou: Department of Biology, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217, USA

IJERPH, 2014, vol. 11, issue 5, 1-25

Abstract: Studies on asthma have shown that air pollution can lead to increased asthma prevalence. The aim of this study is to examine the association between air pollution (fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) and ozone (O 3 )) and human health (asthma emergency department visit rate (AEVR) and asthma discharge rate (ADR)) among residents of New York, USA during the period 2005 to 2007. Annual rates of asthma were calculated from population estimates for 2005, 2006, and 2007 and number of asthma hospital discharge and emergency department visits. Population data for New York were taken from US Bureau of Census, and asthma data were obtained from New York State Department of Health, National Asthma Survey surveillance report. Data on the concentrations of PM 2.5 , SO 2 and ground level ozone were obtained from various air quality monitoring stations distributed in different counties. Annual means of these concentrations were compared to annual variations in asthma prevalence by using Pearson correlation coefficient. We found different associations between the annual mean concentration of PM 2.5 , SO 2 and surface ozone and the annual rates of asthma discharge and asthma emergency visit from 2005 to 2007. A positive correlation coefficient was observed between the annual mean concentration of PM 2.5 , and SO 2 and the annual rates of asthma discharge and asthma emergency department visit from 2005 to 2007. However, the correlation coefficient between annual mean concentrations of ground ozone and the annual rates of asthma discharge and asthma emergency visit was found to be negative from 2005 to 2007. Our study suggests that the association between elevated concentrations of PM 2.5 and SO 2 and asthma prevalence among residents of New York State in USA is consistent enough to assume concretely a plausible and significant association.

Keywords: air pollution; asthma; health; New York State; GIS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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