Traffic Air Pollution and Health Impacts in Urban Italy

Urban air pollution and emergency room admissions for respiratory symptoms: a case–crossover study in Palermo, Italy (39 page pdf, Fabio Tramuto, Rosanna Cusimano, Giuseppe Cerame, Marcello Vultaggio, Giuseppe Calamusa , Carmelo M Maida and Francesco Vitale, Environmental Health 2011, 10:31, Apr.13, 2011)

Today’s review article takes us to Palermo, Italy which happens to have a good data base of 10 air pollution monitoring stations and the characteristic (seen only in a few large cities with little local industry, such as Ottawa in Canada) of pollution coming mainly from traffic- although it was acknowledged that some SO2 comes from vessels in its port. The conclusions point to high correlations between poor respiratory health and high levels of air pollution, particularly PM10.



Key Quotes:

“The burden of air pollution on health system is generally underestimated for the difficulties to clearly evaluate the possible linkage between air pollution level and adverse health outcomes partially due to the variability of personal exposure, to the influence of individual effect modifiers [12] but also because respiratory symptoms are often neither consulted nor registered in medical records as related to air pollution”

“[in Palermo] Due to limited use of domestic heating plants and to the lack of industrial plants in residential areas, motor vehicles, including boats, contributes to at least 70-75% of total air pollutant emissions”

“a positive association between ER attendance for respiratory symptoms and ambient exposure to motor-vehicle pollutants such as PM 10 , nitrogen dioxide, sulfure oxide, and carbon monoxide was found, and a clear difference by season was observed. PM 10 was the sole pollutant that showed positive OR values in both the warm and cold seasons”

“Traffic-related air pollution includes gaseous species and PM from combustion, tire and brake wear, and resuspended roadway dusts”

“the study shows that warm season increases the risk of respiratory health effects due to motor vehicle-related air pollution, especially in females”

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