Effects of Asian dust events on daily asthma patients in Seoul, Korea

Meteorological applications

article

Joong-Woo Lee¹  Ki-Kwang Lee² 

[1] Institute of Industrial Management Research, School of Management, Inje University;School of Business Administration, Dankook University

关键词: Asian dust storms;    asthma;    PM10 concentration;    daily clinic visit;    paired t-test;   

DOI  :  10.1002/met.1351

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

East Asia, including the Korean peninsula, is affected by dust storms originating from the deserts of Mongolia and China, especially in spring. These are called Asian dust storm (ADS) events. ADS events frequently generate ambient dust particles less than 10 µm in diameter. Particles of this size are known to be associated with adverse health effects. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible adverse effects of ADS on the asthma symptoms of residents of Seoul, South Korea, during the period 2005–2008. A paired t -test was used to compare daily medical treatment counts for asthma disease on ADS events with those on the comparison days. ‘Comparison days’ is defined as the 7 days before and after the ADS episodes, referred to as index days in this study. The estimated percentage increase in the rate of asthma treatments after the ADS event, using 4–6 day moving means, was about 18%. This shows a statistically significant association between ADS events and asthma treatment counts 4–6 days after the ADS event. It was also found that the percentage increase in asthma treatments on index days with high levels of PM 10 concentration was about 22% ( P < 0.05) in cases with a 6 day lag. This study generates evidence that ADS events are significantly associated with asthma symptoms and that increased PM 10 levels may aggravate asthma disease.

【 授权许可】

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