Public Health Impact Atribution due to particulate matter from Biomass Burning Emissions

Abstract

TPS 642: Environmental justice and impacts, Exhibition Hall, Ground floor, August 26, 2019, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM Background: Biomass burning emissions have a substantial impact on regional air quality and climate, we evaluated the short-term effect of particulate matter on acute respiratory disease morbidity and mortality, determinated by the risk of children under 5 years old and adults over 60 years old in three cities at 2016. Methods: Daily Emergency Department (ED) visit records for respiratory illnesses and selected diagnosis, besides daily concentrations of PM2.5 obtained in Bogota as a high altitude city and other cities as Bucaramanga and Medellin, therefore we selected the back-trajectories of air masses reaching the receptor, that were linked with fire spots. Colombia: Bogota, Medellin, Bucaramanga during 2016. Using conditional Poisson time series analysis we assessed the effect of air pollutants on health outcomes using single pollutant, controlling for meteorology and time trends. The percentages of change in the rate of ED visits and their 95% confidence interval were estimated for the joint effect of particulate matter. Results and Conclusions: On one hand in dry season, the amount of firespots increases as single-pollutant model increases particulate matter were associated with 15% increases in ED visits for respiratory diseases. On the other hand during the wet season the incidence of ED visits decreases. The health charge of concentrations above 50 Micrograms per cubic meter of air represent the 17.6 % of Chronic Respiratory illneses. The cost linked with air pollution is US $1431, this amount increases when the poor communities are included.