Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jun 27:43:e2024178.
doi: 10.1590/1984-0462/2025/43/2024178. eCollection 2025.

Air pollution and respiratory diseases in conurbated cities in the state of São Paulo

Luiz Fernando Costa Nascimento  1 , Ana Clara Silva Raposo de Almeida  2 , Julia Ferreira Gomes Pereira  2 , Mariana Telles de Castro  2 , Adriana Oliveira Ribeiro Dos Santos  2
Affiliations

Air pollution and respiratory diseases in conurbated cities in the state of São Paulo

Luiz Fernando Costa Nascimento et al. Rev Paul Pediatr. .

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

Objective: To estimate the association between exposure to particulate matter with less than 10u of aerodynamic diameter (PM10) and hospital admissions due to acute respiratory diseases in children.

Methods: This is an ecological time series study with data on hospitalizations for respiratory diseases in children living in the conurbated cities of Taubaté, Tremembé, and Pindamonhangaba located in the Vale do Paraíba in São Paulo. Hospital admission data refer to the period between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2019. Information on hospital admissions was obtained from the DATASUS database, and concentration values (μg/m3) of the pollutant PM10, temperature, and humidity relative air were obtained from the Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo. Negative binomial regression was used. Population attributable fraction and hospitalization costs were estimated.

Results: A total of 1,291 hospitalizations were identified in the conurbated municipalities with a daily average of 0.88 standard deviation (±) 1.06, varying between 0-7 hospitalizations. Significant exposures to PM10 can be observed at all lags, except the four-day lag (Lag 4). The total cost of hospitalizations was around US$ 800,000.00 and the excess number of hospitalizations (135) represented an expense of around US$ 80,000.00.

Conclusions: Studies with conurbated cities are easily applicable, extending the study area. The results reinforce the harmful role of exposure to air pollutants in children's health.

Objetivo:: Estimar a associação entre exposição ao material particulado poluente com diâmetro aerodinâmico inferiores a 10u (PM10) e internações hospitalares por doenças respiratórias agudas em crianças.

Métodos:: Estudo ecológico de série temporal com dados de internações por doenças respiratórias em crianças residentes nas cidades conurbadas de Taubaté, Tremembé e Pindamonhangaba localizadas no Vale do Paraíba paulista. Os dados de internações hospitalares referem-se ao período entre 1º de janeiro de 2016 e 31 de dezembro de 2019. As informações das internações hospitalares foram obtidas no banco de dados DATASUS, e os valores de concentração (ug/m3) do poluente PM10, temperatura e umidade relativa do ar foram obtidas junto à Companhia Ambiental do Estado de São Paulo. Foi utilizada regressão binomial negativa. A fração atribuível populacional e os custos de internação foram estimados.

Resultados:: Foram identificadas 1.291 internações nos municípios conurbados com média diária de 0,88 desvio padrão (±) 1,06, variando entre 0–7 internações. Exposições significativas ao PM10 podem ser observadas em todas as defasagens, exceto na de quatro dias (Lag 4). O custo total das internações foi em torno de US$ 800.000,00 e o excesso de internações (135) representou um gasto em torno de US$ 80.000,00.

Conclusões:: Estudos com cidades conurbadas são facilmente aplicáveis aumentando a área de estudo. Os resultados reforçam o papel nocivo da exposição aos poluentes atmosféricos na saúde infantil.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interests: The authors declare that is no conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Map of the state of São Paulo with emphasis on Vale do Paraíba and the agglomerated municipalities.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Daily values for the number of hospitalizations (cases) (2A) and concentrations of particulate matter (PM10) (2B). Taubaté, Tremembé, and Pindamonhangaba, 2016–2019.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Relative risk of hospitalizations, according to increase of 10 μg/m3 PM10, and lags of 0 to 5 days. Taubaté, Tremembé, and Pindamonhangaba, 2016–2019.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Nguyen TT, Vu TD, Vuong NL, Pham TV, Le TH, Tran MD, et al. Effect of ambient air pollution on hospital admission for respiratory diseases in Hanoi children during 2007-2019. Environ Res. 2024;241:117633. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117633. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. DATASUS [homepage on the Internet]. Informações de Saúde (TABNET) [cited 2023 Nov 06]. Available from: https://datasus.saude.gov.br/informacoes-de-saude-tabnet/
    1. Gaspar MA, Barros PH, Costa AS, Soares FA, Oliveira BL. Desigualdade social e hospitalizações por pneumonia em crianças menores de cinco anos no Estado do Maranhão, Brasil. Rev Bras Saúde Mater Infant. 2020;20:91-100. doi: 10.1590/1806-93042020000100006. - DOI
    1. Orellano P, Quaranta N, Reynoso J, Balbi B, Vasquez J. Effect of outdoor air pollution on asthma exacerbations in children and adults: systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2017;20:12:e0174050. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174050. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nhung NT, Amini H, Schindler C, Joss MK, Dien TM, Probst-Hensch N, et al. Short-term association between ambient air pollution and pneumonia in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis of time-series and case-crossover studies. Environ Pollut. 2017;230:1000–8. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.07.63. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms