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Public health impacts of naturally-derived particulate matter : a case study of Asian dust in southwestern British Columbia Bennett, Charmian Margaret
Abstract
The adverse public health impacts of anthropogenically-derived particulate matter have been well documented, with measureable increases in both morbidity and mortality rates associated with high particulate matter pollution events. Most current research has focused on the health impacts of anthropogenically-derived particulate matter, and there is a distinct scarcity of literature that examines the role of naturally-derived particulate matter and adverse health impacts in the urban context. This study of a Gobi desert dust event in British Columbia, Canada, in spring of 1998 provided a unique opportunity to identify the adverse health effects related to naturally-derived particulate matter in a large urban setting. Respiratory and cardiac hospitalizations were examined for a three-year period (January 1997 to December 1999), with the Gobi dust event occurring in late April 1998. A meteorological analogue was identified for spring 1997 in order to identify the public health impacts associated with anthropogenically-derived particulate matter and those impacts associated with the presence of the Gobi desert dust. Results indicate that this Gobi dust event was not associated with an excess of hospitalizations for the Fraser Valley region. Peak particulate matter concentrations of Gobi desert dust in the airshed were only associated with an additional two or three hospitalizations for respiratory and cardiac illnesses, and these increases were not distinguishable from the 'normal' variability in hospitalization rates. Despite high particulate matter concentrations, fine particle size, presence of heavy metals in the dust and extended exposure periods, it appears that the Gobi desert dust event was not associated with significant risk to public health in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia. Therefore it is concluded that naturally-derived particulate matter is more benign than particulate matter of anthropogenic origin, and thus poses a low risk to health for the general public.
Item Metadata
Title |
Public health impacts of naturally-derived particulate matter : a case study of Asian dust in southwestern British Columbia
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
2005
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Description |
The adverse public health impacts of anthropogenically-derived particulate matter have been well documented, with measureable increases in both morbidity and mortality rates associated with high particulate matter pollution events. Most current research has focused on the health impacts of anthropogenically-derived particulate matter, and there is a distinct scarcity of literature that examines the role of naturally-derived particulate matter and adverse health impacts in the urban context. This study of a Gobi desert dust event in British Columbia, Canada, in spring of 1998 provided a unique opportunity to identify the adverse health effects related to naturally-derived particulate matter in a large urban setting. Respiratory and cardiac hospitalizations were examined for a three-year period (January 1997 to December 1999), with the Gobi dust event occurring in late April 1998. A meteorological analogue was identified for spring 1997 in order to identify the public health impacts associated with anthropogenically-derived particulate matter and those impacts associated with the presence of the Gobi desert dust. Results indicate that this Gobi dust event was not associated with an excess of hospitalizations for the Fraser Valley region. Peak particulate matter concentrations of Gobi desert dust in the airshed were only associated with an additional two or three hospitalizations for respiratory and cardiac illnesses, and these increases were not distinguishable from the 'normal' variability in hospitalization rates. Despite high particulate matter concentrations, fine particle size, presence of heavy metals in the dust and extended exposure periods, it appears that the Gobi desert dust event was not associated with significant risk to public health in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia. Therefore it is concluded that naturally-derived particulate matter is more benign than particulate matter of anthropogenic origin, and thus poses a low risk to health for the general public.
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Extent |
14452435 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-12-02
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0091779
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
2005-05
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.