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Rationale - what it means and why it is an important measure
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Respiratory illness is related to air pollution. A study by the Harvard School of Public Health (June, 1996) estimated that ozone exposure was linked to 10,000-15,000 hospital admissions and 30,000-50,000 emergency room visits in 13 U.S. cities during 1993 and 1994.
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How it is compiled, what data are needed
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The number of respiratory illness hospital visits per 1000 people.
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Measurements and units
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Respiratory illness hospital visits (Number per 1000 population)
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Possible temporal and spatial format
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trend charts, graphs, pies
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Reference to methodology resources
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ICLEI, 1998. www.iclei.org/cities21/c21ind.htm
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Objective
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To reduce the number of persons affected by respiratory illness by improving the air quality in the city.
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Targets, benchmarks, reference values
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No target references
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References to examples of application
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Cities at risk: Assessing the vulnerability of United States cities to climate change,
http://www.iclei.org/co2/car-textonly.htm.
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Other comments / background
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Ozone is one of the most damaging constituents of air pollution. Exposure to ozone in the air has been shown to have a number of clinical effects:
- Decreased lung capacity and decreased physical capacity even at very low levels of concentration;
- The association between ozone and asthma is particularly clear. Epidemiological studies conducted in British Columbia and Ontario (Canada), and New Jersey (USA) found hospitalizations and emergency room visits for asthma to be associated with periods of high ozone pollution. Studies of asthmatics in Los Angeles and Houston (USA) found that chest discomfort increased by 17% with high ambient ozone levels.
- Children are particularly at risk. They make up 25% of the population but comprise 40% of asthma cases. Ozone concentrations are highest during summer, when children tend to play and exercise outdoors at camps, playgrounds, and parks. A number of studies show evidence of the effects of these factors including higher incidences of coughing, phlegm production, wheezing, and difficulty breathing in children after exposure to ozone (http://www.iclei.org/co2/car-textonly.htm).
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