New Research Pinpoints Specific PM2.5 Components Driving Asthma Hospitalizations
A new study has identified nickel, vanadium, and sulfate particles as key components of PM2.5 air pollution most strongly linked to asthma-related hospitalizations. Alongside nitrate, bromine, and ammonium, these pollutants were found to substantially contribute to hospitalizations among individuals with asthma exposed to long-term air pollution.
Published in the american Journal of Respiratory and Critical care medicine, the research analyzed 469,005 asthma hospitalizations across 11 U.S. states between 2002 and 2016. Researchers used machine learning models to estimate annual levels of 15 PM2.5 compounds at a ‘zip code’ level, then employed statistical methods to determine each compound’s impact on asthma hospitalizations.
The study revealed that a decile increase in the pollutant mixture correlated with a 10.6% rise in asthma hospitalizations among children and an 8% increase among adults aged 19 to 64.
“We know that PM2.5 increases the risk of asthma attacks and hospitalizations, but those particles are made of many compounds and we haven’t known which are most harmful,” said senior author Joel Schwartz, professor of environmental epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Our study teases out which specific compounds in the PM2.5 mixture necessitate the strongest control efforts in order to improve asthma outcomes.”
Schwartz emphasized the implications for pollution control, stating, “If we want to reduce asthma hospitalisations, these are the sources that need to be better controlled – which we know how to do.” He noted that nickel and vanadium are byproducts of burning fuel oil, while sulfates originate from coal combustion, suggesting targeted interventions like installing scrubbers on power plants or transitioning to cleaner fuels.
The authors acknowledge the need for further research into the effects of short-term spikes in specific PM2.5 components on asthma exacerbations.The full study is available at:
