| Examining Acute Health Outcomes Due to Ozone Exposure and Their Subsequent
Relationship to Chronic Disease Outcomes Bart D. Ostro Air Pollution Epidemiology Unit, California Office of Environmental Health
Hazard Assessment, Berkeley Way, Annex 11, Berkeley, CA 94704 Abstract
Current evidence indicates that individuals exposed to short term elevations in ambient ozone may experience both upper and lower respiratory effects. Some respiratory symptoms and spirometric changes are mild and reversible in nature, while others involve more severe outcomes, including hospital admissions and emergency room visits. However, many questions remain about the effects of acute ozone exposure and the implications of this exposure for chronic disease outcomes. For example, the identification of sensitive subgroups, the delineation of the entire spectrum of health effects due to exposure to ozone, the potential synergy between viral infections and ozone exposure, and the nature of adaptation to ozone are not well characterized. In addition, studies that examine the association between acute responses to ozone and potential biological indicators of a chronic disease process would be desirable. This paper serves to provide an overview of the types of epidemiologic studies that may be appropriate and factors to consider in addressing these questions. -- Environ Health Perspect 101(Suppl 4) :213-216 (1993) . Key Words: Ozone, acute morbidity, panel study, epidemiology, respiratory
The full version of this article is available for free in HTML format. |
