Air Pollution Tied to Hospital Visits for Older Adults

A study in the BMJ suggests older adults who breathe in very small particles from air pollution for even a few days are more likely to be hospitalized for many diseases, reports Voice of America . Researchers examined PM2.5, a liquid-solid mixture of particles, with each particle being about 3 percent of the size of a human hair at most. The authors verified earlier associations between short-term exposure to PM2.5 and a higher risk of hospitalization and death from certain ailments — including heart and lung diseases, diabetes, and blood flow obstruction in the legs. The researchers also discovered new connections between short-term exposure and more hospitalizations for maladies like kidney failure and sepsis. The investigators analyzed hospital records for Medicare beneficiaries from 2000 to 2012, selected according to their home zip codes. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health's Yaguang Wei said the most frequent and hazardous health effects of PM2.5 exposure are heart and breathing diseases, which are "the leading causes of hospitalization, emergency room, visits and even death." For diseases like sepsis, fluid disorders, kidney failure, and intestinal problems, each cubic meter rise in short-term average fine PM levels correlated with an annual increase of roughly 2,050 hospital visits.