Seasonal ambient particulate matter and population health outcomes among communities impacted by road dust in British Columbia, Canada

J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2017 Sep;67(9):986-999. doi: 10.1080/10962247.2017.1315348. Epub 2017 May 12.

Abstract

In recent years, many air quality monitoring programs have favored measurement of particles less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) over particles less than 10 µm (PM10) in light of evidence that health impacts are mostly from the fine fraction. However, the coarse fraction (PM10-2.5) may have independent health impacts that support continued measurement of PM10 in some areas, such as those affected by road dust. The objective of this study was to evaluate the associations between different measures of daily PM exposure and two daily indicators of population health in seven communities in British Columbia, Canada, where road dust is an ongoing concern. The measures of exposure were PM10, PM2.5, PM10-2.5, PM2.5 adjusted for PM10-2.5, and PM10-2.5 adjusted for PM2.5. The indicators of population health were dispensations of the respiratory reliever medication salbutamol sulfate and nonaccidental mortality. This study followed a time-series design using Poisson regression over a 2003-2015 study period, with analyses stratified by three seasons: residential woodsmoke in winter; road dust in spring; and wildfire smoke in summer. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to establish a pooled estimate. Overall, an interquartile range increase in daily PM10-2.5 was associated with a 3.6% [1.6, 5.6] increase in nonaccidental mortality during the road dust season, which was reduced to 3.1% [0.8, 5.4] after adjustment for PM2.5. The adjusted coarse fraction had no effect on salbutamol dispensations in any season. However, an interquartile range increase in PM2.5 was associated with a 2.7% [2.0, 3.4] increase in dispensations during the wildfire season. These analyses suggest different impacts of different PM fractions by season, with a robust association between the coarse fraction and nonaccidental mortality in communities and periods affected by road dust. We recommend that PM10 monitoring networks be maintained in these communities to provide feedback for future dust mitigation programs.

Implications: There was a significant association between daily concentrations of the coarse fraction and nonaccidental mortality during the road dust season, even after adjustment for the fine fraction. The acute and chronic health effects associated with exposure to the coarse fraction remain unclear, which supports the maintenance of PM10 monitoring networks to allow for further research in communities affected by sources such as road dust.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Aged
  • Air Pollutants / analysis*
  • Albuterol / therapeutic use
  • British Columbia
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Humans
  • Mortality
  • Particle Size
  • Particulate Matter / analysis*
  • Population Health*
  • Prescriptions / statistics & numerical data
  • Seasons
  • Transportation

Substances

  • Air Pollutants
  • Particulate Matter
  • Albuterol