Influence of fine particulate matter from household emissions on selected respiratory and cardiovascular diseases – Initial results

Background: Due to the widespread use of coal and wood in households for heating purposes, Poland has one of the weakest air quality in the EU. Moreover in East-Central Europe there is still relatively little evidence on the relationship between air pollution, respiratory efficiency and the occurrence of obstructive diseases. Material: 500 people living in a small city in the Warsaw area were surveyed in the ongoing investigation focused on exposure to fine PM originating from the low-stack emission sources. A questionnaire was conducted followed by selected pulmonary, allergy and cardiology examinations (e.g. spirometry, induced sputum, FeNO, SPT, IgE, hemodynamics, vascular endothelial function). Stochastic-exploratory analysis (e.g. ANOVA, GRM or PCA) was conducted. Results: PM 2.5 concentration in the city does not meet the EU standards (in 2014 exceeded 31 ug/m 3 -the highest in the region). Though only 21% of the investigated inhabitants suppose that air quality is low or very low. Significant fraction of never-smokers (56.4% of the whole examined group) demonstrate symptoms typical for people exposed to polluted air, like conjunctivitis (21.5% of the non-smokers), rhinitis (34.2%), larynx inflammation (18.1%) but also breathlessness/tightness and pain behind the breastbone (14.8%). 16.1% of the never-smokers suffer from frequent respiratory infections. Asthma was diagnosed in 8.1%, CHD in 4.7% and COPD in 2% of the group. Conclusion: The initial results may indicate a relationship between continuous exposure to PM 2.5 and the prevalence of respiratory and circulatory systems diseases in never smokers. Ongoing research will help to verify this thesis.