Association Between Emergency Hospital Admissions of the Adult Population with Preexisting Respiratory Conditions and Ozone Air Quality Index

Muzina, Miranda, Association Between Emergency Hospital Admissions of the Adult Population with Preexisting Respiratory Conditions and Ozone Air Quality Index. Master of Public Health (Environmental Health), December 2006, 117 pp., 23 tables, 18 figures, references, 128 titles. This study examined if an association exists between seasonal ozone air pollution in the Fort Worth area and patients admitted to local area hospitals with existing asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis and COPD. Ozone is secondary pollutant formed in a complex reaction between oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds, in the presence of sunlight and heat. The EPA has classified the Dallas-Fort Worth area as a non-attainment area by for ozone. The study did not find any apparent association between seasonal ozone AQI and the emergency respiration admissions. The available hospital data significantly limited analyzing the connection between emergency hospitalization and daily fluctuations of ozone. Further studies are needed to address this complex relationship in a broader perspective.