Scottish Study Links Air Pollution to Increased Hospital Admissions

A Scottish study in BMJ Open has linked long-term air pollution with higher hospital admissions due to cardiovascular, respiratory, infectious, and mental diseases. Researchers found increased nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter exposure correlated with elevated hospitalizations and that prior studies focused more on mortality than admissions.

A study conducted in Scotland has revealed a concerning link between long-term exposure to air pollution and increased hospital admissions for various diseases, including mental illnesses.

Published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Open, the research found that increased exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) significantly correlates with higher hospitalizations for cardiovascular, respiratory, and infectious illnesses.

Among these pollutants, PM2.5 and NO2 were notably associated with higher incidences of respiratory conditions. Furthermore, elevated nitrogen dioxide levels were linked to increased admissions for mental or behavioral disorders. Despite average yearly pollutant levels being below some previous WHO guidelines, they exceeded recent standards, prompting concerns among researchers at the University of St Andrews who analyzed data from Public Health Scotland's database for 2002-2017, involving over 200,000 individuals.

(With inputs from agencies.)