Association of ambient non-methane hydrocarbons exposure with respiratory hospitalizations: A time series study in Taipei, Taiwan

Hong Qiu; Chyi-Huey Bai; Kai-Jen Chuang; Yen-Chun Fan; Ta-Pang Chang; Steve Hung-Lam Yim; Kin-Fai Ho

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139010

Association of ambient non-methane hydrocarbons exposure with respiratory hospitalizations: A time series study in Taipei, Taiwan

Sci Total Environ. 2020 Aug 10:729:139010. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139010. Epub 2020 Apr 27.

Authors

Hong Qiu¹, Chyi-Huey Bai², Kai-Jen Chuang³, Yen-Chun Fan⁴, Ta-Pang Chang⁴, Steve Hung-Lam Yim⁵, Kin-Fai Ho⁶

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
² School of Public Health, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
³ Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁴ School of Public Health, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁵ Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
⁶ Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Electronic address: kfho@cuhk.edu.hk.

PMID: 32361457
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139010

Abstract

Ambient hydrocarbons are important precursors of ground-level ozone and secondary organic aerosol formation. However, few studies have assessed the health impact of airborne hydrocarbons. We conducted this time series ecological study to evaluate the association of short-term airborne hydrocarbons exposure with hospital admissions for respiratory diseases, while controlling for co-exposure to criteria pollutants. Taipei air pollution and weather data for the period spanning from January 2010 to December 2017 were obtained from Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Network. Subsequently, daily pollutant concentrations were linked with daily hospital admission counts for respiratory diseases into a time series data frame. The standard generalized additive Poisson model adjusted for temporal trends, seasonal variations, weather conditions, and calendar effects, was applied to examine the short-term associations of acute airborne hydrocarbon exposure with respiratory hospital admissions. Next, the robustness of the associations was tested using two-pollutant models with further adjustment for fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and gaseous pollutants. The results demonstrated that an interquartile range increase in non-methane hydrocarbon (NMHC) exposure on lag0 day (0.15 ppm) was associated with a 0.86% (95% confidence interval: 0.37%-1.36%), 2.06% (0.77%-3.38%), and 1.25% (0.31%-2.20%) increment in all-respiratory-disease-, asthma-, and chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-linked hospital admissions, respectively. The associations were robust with further adjustment for co-exposure to PM_2.5 and ozone. The acute effect estimate of methane on each respiratory category was sensitive to the co-pollutant adjustment and lost statistical significance in the two-pollutant models. In conclusion, we confirmed that airborne NMHC exposure increased the risk of respiratory-disease-related hospital admissions in Taipei; this information may aid in the regulation of hydrocarbon pollution.

Keywords: Airborne hydrocarbons; Hospital admissions; Respiratory diseases; Time series study.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants
Air Pollution*
Hospitalization
Hydrocarbons
Methane
Particulate Matter
Taiwan

Substances

Air Pollutants
Hydrocarbons
Particulate Matter
Methane