Study Suggests Older Adults Exposed To Air Pollution For Short Periods May Be More Likely To Be Hospitalized For Variety Of Health Problems

reports a study published in The BMJ suggests that “older adults who are exposed to tiny particles in air pollution for just a day or two are more likely to be hospitalized for a wide variety of common health problems.” Investigators “focused on so-called PM 2.5” and “confirmed previously-known links between short-term exposure to PM 2.5 and an increased risk of hospitalization and death from heart and lung diseases, diabetes, and clots in the large veins of the legs.” The researchers found for such diseases rarely studied in the context of PM 2.5, “each 1 ug/m3 increase in short-term average fine particulate matter levels was associated with an average annual increase of 2,050 hospital admissions, 12,216 total days in the hospital and $31 million in hospital and post-acute care costs.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-airpollution-hospitalizations/air-pollution-tied-to-hospitalizations-for-wide-range-of-illnesses-idUSKBN1YD2ES