Work

Lowering short-term PM2.5 exposure reduces respiratory healthcare utilization among children in Washington State

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) exposure, even at low levels, increases the risk of many adverse health outcomes. Few studies have evaluated how lowering children’s short-term PM 2.5 exposure impacts their healthcare utilization. We used daily all-cause respiratory and asthma-related emergency department (ED) visit data from Washington’s syndromic surveillance system for 2020–2023. We conducted a quasi-Poisson time series analysis and applied parametric g-computation to estimate the change in respiratory and asthma-related visits among children under different hypothetical interventions on the day-prior PM 2.5 concentrations. Interventions corresponded to 2025 US Environmental Protection Agency Air Quality Index breakpoints for PM 2.5 and an additional low exposure scenario (24 h average, hourly maximum over the day, and previous 12 h average concentrations of 5, 9, 35.5, and 55.5 µ g m −3 ). There were 426 415 and 60 932 all-cause respiratory and asthma-related ED visits, respectively, among children from 2020 to 2023. All hypothetical interventions on the previous 24 h average PM 2.5 concentration resulted in fewer all-cause respiratory and asthma-related ED visits among children. The largest reduction in visits was seen among children aged 0–4 and 5–11. If the previous day’s 24 h average PM 2.5 concentration was ⩽ 5 µ g m −3 , we estimated 2.2 (95% CI: 0.2, 4.2) fewer all-cause respiratory visits for ages 5–11 and 4.5 (95% CI: 0.2, 8.9) fewer asthma-related visits for ages 0–4 per 1000 visits. If the previous day’s maximum PM 2.5 concentration was ⩽ 5 µ g m −3 , we estimated 10.0 (95% CI: 3.1, 16.8) fewer asthma-related visits for ages 0–4 and 7.6 (95% CI: 1.4, 13.8) fewer for ages 5–11 per 1000 visits. Results for different PM 2.5 thresholds, time averages, and regions were consistent with the main findings. Any reduction in short-term PM 2.5 would result in respiratory ED visits prevented in children, with the greatest benefit seen for the largest PM 2.5 reductions.

Source: Environmental Research Health

DOI: 10.1088/2752-5309/ae11cd

Authors: Annie Doubleday, Joan A Casey, Orly Stampfer, Julie Fox

Institutions: Washington State Department of Health, University of Washington

Language: English

Topic: Air Quality and Health Impacts

Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,515