Gaseous Pollutants Linked to Pulmonary Diseases: East Meets West

FATIM SANNOH, Haider Khwaja, Zafar Fatmi, Nadeem Rizvi, Aftab Turabi, Mirza M. Hussain, Azhar Siddique, David Carpenter, University at Albany

     Abstract Number: 476
     Working Group: Health-Related Aerosols

Abstract
Air pollution is one of the most prominent global threat to public health. Pakistan is ranked among the top five Asian countries. There is insufficient information about the impacts of gaseous pollutants (O3, NO, NO2, HNO3 and SO2) due to economic limitations and lack of adequate measuring facilities in urban centers of Pakistan. It is essential to understand the health effects of gaseous pollutants to implement effective air pollution regulatory programs. This is the first study to evaluate the morbidity risk for pulmonary diseases, associated with gaseous pollutants exposure in Karachi, Pakistan. The total number of gaseous pollutants samples collected was 400 (approximately 100 during each of the four seasons) with simultaneous hospital data collection. Results indicated a strong association between O3 exposure and asthma, tuberculosis, shortness of breath (SOB), and total pulmonary disease in both sexes. In males, SO2 exposure was associated with SOB. COPD was linked with HNO3 exposure among males compared to females, while association was found between NO/NO2 exposure with asthma in males only. Association was found to exist between gaseous pollutants exposure and pulmonary diseases in both age groups, with the greatest association found among patients ages 0 – 50. The findings are mainly in agreement with the reported studies. Overall, low statistically significant estimates suggest that while gaseous pollutants (NO, NO2, O3, HNO3, and SO2) may be a valuable indicator for pulmonary health risks from industrial and combustion-derived particles, further assessment of these pollutants and their relative contributions to pulmonary health impacts in Karachi is necessary to provide much-needed data and relevant information to clinicians, researchers, health policy and policymakers in designing programs and plans of actions to address air pollution-related health effects in Pakistan.