Relationship between respiratory symptoms and ambient air pollution at Quang Ninh province

Abstract

A cross - sectional investigation was conducted on 1585 people living in Hong Ha ward of Ha Long City to assess the relationship between respiratory symptoms and some indicators of the ambient air. Research results show that the content of CO, O3, NO2, SO2, PM 10, PM2.5 substances in the ambient air did not exceed the limit of the National Technical Regulation QCVN 05:2013/BTNMT. At low levels, if the concentration of NO2 in the air increases by 1μg/m3, the number of people at risk of sneezing symptoms increases by 1.4%, runny nose increases by 1.6%, stuffy nose increases by 1.1% on the day of exposure, If SO2 concentration increases by 1μg/m3, the number of people at risk of sneezing symptoms increases by 2.8% (p < 0.01), runny nose increases by 3.6% (p < 0.01), stuffy nose increases by 2.7% (p < 0.05) after one day of exposure. Thus, the risk of sneezing, runny nose, and stuffy nose is related to the concentration of NO2 and SO2 in the ambient air even if the concentration of these substances does not reach the limit set by the Vietnamese Regulation.