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The impact of ambient particulate matter exposure on adult respiratory health in southeastern Australia.
thesis
posted on 2017-03-22, 01:40 authored by Bennett, Charmian MargaretThis thesis examines the impact of ambient particulate matter (PM) on
respiratory symptoms in Australian adults. Respiratory symptoms are often
overlooked in epidemiological studies on PM, yet they represent the activation of
inflammatory physiological responses by inhaled particles. It is hypothesised that
respiratory symptoms represent the most common adverse health impact of PM
on healthy individuals. It is expected that proportionally fewer individuals are
adversely affected as the severity of the health impact increases, so that relatively
few people require emergency treatment, hospitalisation or end up dying as a
result of PM exposure.
Respiratory symptoms may often be mild and transient, but chronic and/or
severe symptoms can have a substantial detrimental impact on quality of life,
including the ability to work and take part in recreational activities. Respiratory
symptoms also represent exacerbations of underlying chronic diseases such as
asthma, which may be life-threatening, as well as requiring medical care,
medication use and resulting in sub-optimal disease management.
This thesis addresses the current lack of knowledge on associations
between ambient PM and respiratory symptoms in Australian adults. The first
study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in respiratory symptoms
in adults in Melbourne (Victoria). There was little evidence to suggest that PM2.5 in
Melbourne poses a substantial health threat to most adults.
The next studies examined respiratory symptoms in participants in the
2004 Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (TAHS). An ecological study examined
symptoms reported by TAHS participants in Launceston and Hobart (Tasmania). Air
quality in Launceston is severely degraded by wood smoke-derived PM10 during
the winter months, whereas air quality in Hobart is much better. The results did
not provide convincing evidence that respiratory symptoms were associated with
wood smoke-derived PM10 in Launceston, although it is likely that the small sample
size affected the results.
Variations in air quality within Launceston were then examined using The
Air Pollution Model (TAPM) to estimate, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
to map, PM10 concentrations. There was little evidence to suggest that respiratory
symptoms or symptom scores were associated with spatial variations in PM1O.
Further analyses suggested that the small city size and confounding by vehicle
traffic may have overshadowed any associations with ambient PM 10.
The results of this thesis suggest that ambient PM concentrations in
Melbourne and Launceston may currently be low enough to pose little threat to
the respiratory health of most adults. However, the scientific evidence strongly
suggests ambient PM exposure does have an adverse impact on adult respiratory
health. The small study sample sizes and low exposure variation between study
participants likely reduced the ability of these studies to detect any significant
associations between respiratory symptoms and ambient PM in these cities.
History
Principal supervisor
Michael AbramsonYear of Award
2011Department, School or Centre
Public Health and Preventive MedicineAdditional Institution or Organisation
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive MedicineCampus location
AustraliaCourse
Doctor of PhilosophyDegree Type
DOCTORATEFaculty
Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health SciencesUsage metrics
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Restricted access and full embargoRespriratory symptoms in adults in Melbourne, Victoria1959.1/899319Ambient particulate matterRespiratory symptoms in AustraliaAdult Respriratory Healthmonash:120143thesis(doctorate)Respiratory symptoms in adults in Hobart and Launceston, Tasmania2011ethesis-20130924-102659
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