Urbanization is rendering cities vulnerable to the impact of air pollution on human health. In Portugal, few studies have been conducted on this subject, making this type of approach all the more important. Oporto, our study object/case study, is the second most important city in the country. The aim of this preliminary paper is to assess the effects of the meteorological conditions and atmospheric pollutants on respiratory diseases (RD) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in Oporto throughout 2003. Air quality variables such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen monoxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), and particulate matter (PM10); and meteorological data such as temperature (T), humidity (Hr), precipitation, and solar radiation (I) were employed. A preliminary case selection of RD and CVD morbidity of individuals over 65 years of age was carried out, employing Pearson coefficient to correlate them with meteorological variables and air quality. The results showed a close relationship between the increase in RDs, such as pneumoconiosis, and the increase in PM10, O3, and NO2 in the summer months. The results showed a positive correlation between the cases of bronchitis and asthma, and the concentration of CO, NO2; and a negative correlation with the variation in T and I as it was expected. In a thorough analysis it was realized that the meteorological conditions of lower T and higher values of Hr favoured the increase of RD. CVD conduction disturbances and dysrhythmia showed a positive correlation with NO2 (0.56, p = 0.05) and NO (0.68, p = 0.01). Hypertension (high blood pressure) and ischemic CVD were found to have a negative correlation with I, –0.64 and –0.55 (p = 0.05), respectively, without being significantly related with pollutants. As a preliminary study, this paper allows us to identify an association of RD and CVD conduction disturbance and dysrhythmia with the concentration increase of certain pollutants and extreme meteorological conditions.
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Azevedo, J.M., Gonçalves, F.L.T., Leal, A.R. (2007). Cardiovascular and respiratory variability related to air pollution and meteorological variables in Oporto, Portugal – preliminary study. In: Morrison, G.M., Rauch, S. (eds) Highway and Urban Environment. Alliance For Global Sustainability Bookseries, vol 12. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6010-6_45
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