Cardiovascular and respiratory emergency dispatch due to shortterm exposure to ambient PM10 in Dezful, Iran

Introduction: This study was conducted to determine the relation between exposure to particulate matter less than 10 microns (PM10) caused by dust storms and the risk of cardiovascular, respiratory and traffic accident missions carried out by Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Methods: This was a time-series study conducted in Dezful city, Iran. Daily information on the number of missions by the EMS due to cardiovascular, respiratory and crash problems and data on PM10 were inquired from March 2013 until March 2016. A generalized linear model (GLM) with distributed lag models (DLMs) was used to evaluate the relation between the number of EMS missions and the average daily PM10. The latent effects of PM10 were estimated in single and cumulative lags, up to 14 days. Results: In the adjusted model, for each IQR increase in the average daily PM10 concentration, the risk of EMS missions in the total population in single lags of 2 to 7 days, and the cumulative lags of 0-7 and 0-14 days after exposure had a 0.8, 0.8, 0.8, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 6.7 and 1.4% significant increase. Also, for each IQR increase in the daily mean concentration of PM10 in single 1 to 7, and cumulative lags of 0-2, 0-7, and 0-14 days after exposure, respectively, a 2.4, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 2.9, 2.7, 2.5, 7.4, 23.5 and 33. 3 % increase was observed in the risk of EMS cardiovascular missions. Conclusion: Increase in daily PM10 concentrations in Dezful is associated with an increase in the risk of EMS missions in lags up to two weeks after exposure.