Search

Abstract: Daily asthma attack diaries of 16 panels of asthmatics residing in the Los Angeles area were collected by the Environmental Protection Agency for 34-week periods during the years 1972-1975. These date are examined here for the relationship between daily attack occurrence and daily levels of photochemical oxidant. Total suspended particulates, minimum temperature, relative humidity, and average wind speed. A separate multiple logistic regression is used for each panelist's attack data. Variables representing the presence or absence of attack on the preceding day, as well as day of week and time since the start of the study, are included in the regressions. The most significant predictor of attacks was the presence of an attack on the preceding day. On the average, the panelists tended to have increased attacks on days with high oxidant and particulate pollution on cool days, and during the first two months of the study. Panelists' attack propensity also differed by day of week in particular they had more attacks on Saturdays (the last day of the weekly reporting period) than on Sundays. Each panelist's regression coefficients are classified according to age, sex, hay fever status, and self-assessed attack precursors: this classification is used to examine subgroups among the panelists with high co-efficients corresponding to the above factors. (Am J Public Health 1980: 70:687-696.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Within the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC), we examined the association between air pollution and mortality among African American, European American, Japanese American, and Latina American women diagnosed with breast cancer. We used a land use regression (LUR) model and kriging interpolation to estimate nitrogen oxides (NO x , NO 2) and particulate matter (PM 2.5 , PM 10) exposures for 3,089 breast cancer cases in the MEC, who were diagnosed from 1993 through 2013 and resided largely in Los Angeles County, California. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the association of time-varying air pollutants with all-cause, breast cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and non-breast cancer/non-CVD mortality, accounting for key covariates. We identified 1,125 deaths from all causes (474 breast cancer, 272 CVD, 379 non-breast cancer/non-CVD deaths) among the 3,089 breast cancer cases with 8.1 years of average follow-up. LUR and kriged NO X (per 50 ppb) and NO 2 (per 20 ppb), PM 2.5 (per 10 µg/m3), and PM 10 (per 10 µg/m3) were positively associated with risks of all-cause (Hazard Ratio (HR) range = 1.13–1.25), breast cancer (HR range = 1.19–1.45), and CVD mortality (HR range = 1.37–1.60). Associations were statistically significant for LUR NO X and CVD mortality (HR = 1.60; 95% CI: 1.08–2.37) and kriged NO 2 and breast cancer mortality (HR = 1.45; 95% CI 1.02–2.07). Gaseous and PM pollutants were positively associated with breast cancer mortality across racial/ethnic group. In this study, air pollutants have a harmful impact on breast cancer survival. Additional studies should evaluate potential confounding by socioeconomic factors. These data support maintaining clean air laws to improve survival for women with breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]