06/08/2022
Toho University
Keio University
National Institute for Environmental Studies, National Research and Development Agency
Tokyo Metropolitan Research Institute for Environmental Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Environmental Public Service Corporation
Hokkaido University
◆Key Points
This is the first study to analyze the association between the constituent components of PM2.5 and the number of emergency ambulance dispatches.
The number of emergency ambulance dispatches increased with a rise in the average carbon concentration on the day of and the day before the dispatch.
Further understanding of the health effects of PM2.5 components is needed.
A research group from Toho University, Keio University, the National Institute for Environmental Studies, the Tokyo Metropolitan Research Institute for Environmental Sciences, and Hokkaido University focused on the components of particulate matter (PM 2.5 )—an air pollutant with known health effects—and investigated whether fluctuations in their concentrations are associated with the number of emergency ambulance dispatches for sudden illnesses. This is the first epidemiological study to statistically analyze the association between PM 2.5 components and emergency ambulance dispatches, reporting that an increase in the concentration of specific components may increase acute illnesses requiring an emergency ambulance dispatch, the health indicator used in this study.
These findings were published in the environmental science journal “Environmental Science & Technology” on May 24, 2022.
Please see below for the full press release.