Scholarlink

<p>Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) remains a major driver of healthcare system strain in India, where annual concentrations average 48 μg/m<sup>3</sup>-nearly tenfold the WHO guideline. To examine how short-term PM<sub>2.5</sub> exposure affects acute healthcare utilization, we merge daily high-resolution PM<sub>2.5</sub> estimates with 1.1 million pediatric ambulance dispatch records across 11 states and union territories, and apply a two-stage fixed-effects instrumental variable approach leveraging thermal inversion duration to isolate exogenous variation in pollution. We find that a 10 μg/m<sup>3</sup> increase in PM<sub>2.5</sub> leads to same-day increases in ambulance dispatches of 3.78% (95% CI: 2.56–5.20) for all causes, 3.25% (1.58–4.84) for illness, and 6.07% (2.84–9.17) for injury. Cumulative seven-day effects remain elevated for all-cause (2.33%, 0.72–4.18) and illness (2.60%, 0.82–4.72) dispatches, indicating persistent impacts on emergency care demand. Girls experience disproportionately larger increases -5.41% (3.01–8.35) versus 2.38% (0.18–4.04) in boys-likely due to delayed care-seeking, greater baseline vulnerability, and higher exposure to non-accidental trauma. Children aged 0–4 years show the largest and most sustained increases in dispatches, whereas older children exhibit attenuated or null responses, reflecting age-related differences in susceptibility and access. Reducing annual PM<sub>2.5</sub> to India’s national guideline (40 μg/m<sup>3</sup>) could avert 20 (6-35) pediatric ambulance dispatches per 100,000 children annually-a 10.1% reduction; achieving the WHO standard (5 μg/m<sup>3</sup>) could prevent 65 (21–111)-a 32.8% reduction. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted air quality improvements to reduce acute healthcare burdens and strengthen emergency response capacity in India’s strained healthcare system.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Short-term PM2.5 exposure disproportionately increases pediatric ambulance dispatches among girls and children under age five in India

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月2日

查看全文
  • Ayako Kawano,
  • Sam Heft-Neal,
  • Srinivasa Rao Janagama,
  • Jennifer A. Newberry,
  • Matthew Strehlow,
  • Eran Bendavid

摘要

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) remains a major driver of healthcare system strain in India, where annual concentrations average 48 μg/m3-nearly tenfold the WHO guideline. To examine how short-term PM2.5 exposure affects acute healthcare utilization, we merge daily high-resolution PM2.5 estimates with 1.1 million pediatric ambulance dispatch records across 11 states and union territories, and apply a two-stage fixed-effects instrumental variable approach leveraging thermal inversion duration to isolate exogenous variation in pollution. We find that a 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 leads to same-day increases in ambulance dispatches of 3.78% (95% CI: 2.56–5.20) for all causes, 3.25% (1.58–4.84) for illness, and 6.07% (2.84–9.17) for injury. Cumulative seven-day effects remain elevated for all-cause (2.33%, 0.72–4.18) and illness (2.60%, 0.82–4.72) dispatches, indicating persistent impacts on emergency care demand. Girls experience disproportionately larger increases -5.41% (3.01–8.35) versus 2.38% (0.18–4.04) in boys-likely due to delayed care-seeking, greater baseline vulnerability, and higher exposure to non-accidental trauma. Children aged 0–4 years show the largest and most sustained increases in dispatches, whereas older children exhibit attenuated or null responses, reflecting age-related differences in susceptibility and access. Reducing annual PM2.5 to India’s national guideline (40 μg/m3) could avert 20 (6-35) pediatric ambulance dispatches per 100,000 children annually-a 10.1% reduction; achieving the WHO standard (5 μg/m3) could prevent 65 (21–111)-a 32.8% reduction. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted air quality improvements to reduce acute healthcare burdens and strengthen emergency response capacity in India’s strained healthcare system.