Air pollutants
What is particle pollution/ particulate matter?
Solid and liquid droplets in the air includes acids, organic compounds, metals, soil, dust, and allergens.
Biostatistics: What is descriptive and inferential statistics?
Descriptive: Nominal (categorical) data, ordinal (scored) data, continuous (scaled) data
Inferential: 1. Study descriptive statistics (mean, median, variance, and standard deviation) 2. Develop hypothesis of relationships.
What are individual preventative measures to avoid poor air quality?
Stay indoors
Check UtahAir/AirNow AQI
Properly filtered HVAC system or portable HEPA cleaner/clean-air room
A well-fitting N95 for smoke particles, not gases
CO detector
What are the patient's environmental air quality risk factors?
Smoke blowing in
The patient's choice of exercise is walking outdoors --> winter inversions.
Why is air quality worsening?
Emissions from burning (cars, factories, agriculture).
Common environmental risk factors change over time due to technology, population, and policy.
What is the cut off size for fine v course particles?
2.5 micrometers
Course particles are 2.5-10 micrometers in diameter (windblown dust)
Fine particles (PM2.5) are the main cause of reduced visibility (haze)
What is descriptive v analytic studies of epidemiology?
Note: experimental look at altering the natural history of the disease ex. clinical trials.
Descriptive: person, place, time == characterize
Analytic: common exposures and association to risk factors == test hypothesis
What are populations most affected by poor air quality?
People with heart or lung diseases, children, older adults, minority populations, and low socioeconomic status.
What are symptoms the patient has that may be attributed to environmental air quality factors?
Dyspnea/SOB, fatigue, wheezing, cough w/o secretions.
Gases that are extremely water soluble (e.g. SO2 and HNO3) affect just the proximal airways-- mainly.
V low water solubility (NOx and O3) affects the distal lung.
The less soluble the gas, the greater is the potential for damage at the level.
Which of the following affects UT's AQI score the most and why? PM2.5, ozone, NO₂, SO₂, or CO
PM2.5 and the valley effect.
In 2014–2016, what percentage of the US population lived in counties above the primary NAAQs?
~ 40%.
What are consequences of poor air quality?
Premature death in people with heart or lung disease, nonfatal heart attacks, arrythmia, aggravated asthma, decreased lung function, increased respiratory symptoms (coughing or dyspnea).
What health history makes our patient more vulnerable to poor environmental air quality?
Smoker history, family hx of lung cancer.
What are challenges in addressing SDoH?
Status quo, pessimism, problematic solutions that are not feasible long-term, strength of evidence.