Background: An association between occurrence of wildfires and mortality in the exposed population has been observed in several studies with controversial results for cause-specific mortality. In the Mediterranean area, forest fires usually occur during spring-summer, they overlap with Saharan outbreaks, are associated with increased temperature and their health effects are probably due to an increase in particulate matter. Aim and methods: We analysed the effects of wildfires and particulate matter (PM<inf>10</inf>) on mortality in 10 southern European cities in Spain, France, Italy and Greece (2003-2010), using satellite data for exposure assessment and Poisson regression models, simulating a case-crossover approach. Results: We found that smoky days were associated with increased cardiovascular mortality (lag 0-5, 6.29%, 95% CIs 1.00 to 11.85). When the effect of PM<inf>10</inf> (per 10 mg/m<sup>3</sup>) was evaluated, there was an increase in natural mortality (0.49%), cardiovascular mortality (0.65%) and respiratory mortality (2.13%) on smoke-free days, but PM<inf>10</inf>-related mortality was higher on smoky days (natural mortality up to 1.10% and respiratory mortality up to 3.90%) with a suggestion of effect modification for cardiovascular mortality (3.42%, p value for effect modification 0.055), controlling for Saharan dust advections. Conclusions: Smoke is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in urban residents, and PM<inf>10</inf> on smoky days has a larger effect on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality than on other days.

Short-term effects of particulate matter on mortality during forest fires in Southern Europe: Results of the MED-PARTICLES project

ALESSANDRINI, ESTER RITA;RANZI, ANDREA;STAFOGGIA, MASSIMO;FORASTIERE, FRANCESCO;ANGELINI, PAOLA;CATRAMBONE, MILENA;DAVOLI, MARINA;STIVANELLO, ELISA;
2015

Abstract

Background: An association between occurrence of wildfires and mortality in the exposed population has been observed in several studies with controversial results for cause-specific mortality. In the Mediterranean area, forest fires usually occur during spring-summer, they overlap with Saharan outbreaks, are associated with increased temperature and their health effects are probably due to an increase in particulate matter. Aim and methods: We analysed the effects of wildfires and particulate matter (PM10) on mortality in 10 southern European cities in Spain, France, Italy and Greece (2003-2010), using satellite data for exposure assessment and Poisson regression models, simulating a case-crossover approach. Results: We found that smoky days were associated with increased cardiovascular mortality (lag 0-5, 6.29%, 95% CIs 1.00 to 11.85). When the effect of PM10 (per 10 mg/m3) was evaluated, there was an increase in natural mortality (0.49%), cardiovascular mortality (0.65%) and respiratory mortality (2.13%) on smoke-free days, but PM10-related mortality was higher on smoky days (natural mortality up to 1.10% and respiratory mortality up to 3.90%) with a suggestion of effect modification for cardiovascular mortality (3.42%, p value for effect modification 0.055), controlling for Saharan dust advections. Conclusions: Smoke is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in urban residents, and PM10 on smoky days has a larger effect on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality than on other days.
2015
Annunziata Faustini; Ester Rita Alessandrini; Jorge Pey; Noemi Perez; Evangelia Samoli; Xavier Querol; Ennio Cadum; Cinzia Perrino; Bart Ostro; Andrea Ranzi; Jordi Sunyer; Massimo Stafoggia; Francesco Forastiere; the MED-PARTICLES study group: […; P Angelini; G Berti; L Bisanti; M Catrambone; M Chiusolo; M Davoli; F de’ Donato; M Demaria; M Gandini; M Grosa; S Ferrari; P Pandolfi; R Pelosini; A Pietrodangelo; L Pizzi; V Poluzzi; G Priod; G Randi; M Rowinski; C Scarinzi; E Stivanello; S Zauli-Sajani; …]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11585/607829
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