Emergency visits for asthma, chronic respiratory disease rise with higher PM2.5 levels: S’pore study
PM2.5 is one of six pollutants measured in Singapore’s Pollutant Standards Index .
Singapore researchers have found a link between spikes in fine-particle air pollution, specifically PM2.5, and increased emergency department visits for asthma and chronic respiratory diseases. Assistant Professor Yohei Okada of Duke-NUS Medical School emphasized the importance of monitoring air quality advisories and taking precautions early, as the impact of small PM2.5 increases may not manifest until a few days after the spike.
PM2.5, which can penetrate deep into the lungs, is an ultra-fine pollutant found in the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI). In September, Singapore saw its PM2.5 levels reach over 100 mcg per cubic meter, while the World Health Organisation recommends keeping PM2.5 concentrations below 15 mcg per cubic meter. The study analyzed asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-related emergency department visits from February 2016 to December 2022, with 74,839 visits analyzed in total.
Each 10 mcg per cubic m increase in PM2.5 above the 15 mcg reference level led to a 3.2% increase in emergency department visits for these conditions over the following two days. The researchers noted that the respiratory effects of PM2.5 may become more apparent with increased exposure, particularly during periods of haze. While the study did not find significant associations with hospital admissions or 30-day mortality, it highlights the need to integrate real-time air quality data into healthcare alerts to plan for potential respiratory case surges.
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