Abstract ID: 604

Indicators of Human Health and Aggregated Measures of Exposure to PM2.5 in the Brazilian Legal Amazon Region

Objective: to analyze the association of the critical hours percentage of PM2.5 , as an indicator of exposure to atmospheric pollution, and the rate of hospital admissions for respiratory diseases (RD) in the Amazonian micro regions during 2004 and 2005. Method: Ecological study using an environmental exposure indicator presented as critical hours percentage (CH%). The following outcomes variables were considered: rates of hospitalization due to respiratory disease in children, the elderly and intermediate age groups, as well as rates of hospitalization for birth. Multiple linear regressions of outcomes and the predictive variable CH% for PM2.5 violation with 80 µg/m3 threshold were used. The Human Development Indices (HDI) and average number of blood tests per 100 inhabitants in the Legal Amazon region were control variables. Results: From the models for all age groups with the rate of hospitalization due to RD, one can verify the significance of the exposure indicator and HDI. No association was found between the rate of hospitalization by birth and CH%. The HDI is the only predictive variable with significant results. Conclusion: The atmospheric pollution indicator in the Brazilian Amazon region showed associations with the occurrence of respiratory diseases especially in the more vulnerable groups, therefore enables new approaches of the outcome of the effects of the burning forest to the human health.

Session:  LCLUC and Human Dimensions - Land-cover and climate change, human population and infections in the Amazon: Current linkages and future risks.

Presentation Type:  Oral