Effects of exposure to particles and ozone on hospital admissions for cardiorespiratory diseases in SetúBal, Portugal.

In recent years, the adverse health effects attributed to air pollution have been a focus of intense study. Exposure to pollutants such as airborne particulate matter (PM) and ozone (O3) has been associated with increases in morbidity and mortality due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to determine a correlation between particles (PM10, PM2.5) and O3 with hospital admissions in Setúbal, a densely populated Portuguese urban region that coexists with a heavy industrial area. A database with daily air quality and hospital admission data over 5 years (2005-2009) was assembled and associations were investigated by ordinary least squares linear regression. Results showed positive significant associations between PM10 and respiratory diseases for ages below 14 yr and above 64 yr, and between PM2.5 and respiratory diseases for ages above 64 yr.