The impact of air quality on respiratory admissions during Asian dust storm periods

The objective of this study was to assess the temporal and spatial patterns of air quality during Asian dust storm (ADS) events between 2000 and 2004, as well as their correlation with the frequency of respiratory admissions in the clinics and hospitals of metropolitan Taipei, Taiwan. The daily air pollutant concentrations and the respiratory admissions on the “index days” were compared with those on the “comparison days”. A Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to map the distributions of the air pollutant concentrations and the respiratory admissions. The results showed that short duration ADS events caused a larger Revised Air Quality Index (RAQI) than the long duration ADS events. PM10 and O3 concentrations significantly increased on the first two days of ADS events. The areas showing significant increases in respiratory admissions did not match well with the areas with the most significant air quality deterioration.