ORCID Profile
0000-0003-1656-9624
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Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVRES.2011.10.010
Abstract: Air pollutants in Iceland's capital area include hydrogen sulfide (H2S) emissions from geothermal power plants, particle pollution (PM10) and traffic-related pollutants. Respiratory health effects of exposure to PM and traffic pollutants are well documented, yet this is one of the first studies to investigate short-term health effects of ambient H2S exposure. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between daily ambient levels of H2S, PM10, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3), and the use of drugs for obstructive pulmonary diseases in adults in Iceland's capital area. The study period was 8 March 2006 to 31 December 2009. We used log-linear Poisson generalized additive regression models with cubic splines to estimate relative risks of in idually dispensed drugs by air pollution levels. A three-day moving average of the exposure variables gave the best fit to the data. Final models included significant covariates adjusting for climate and influenza epidemics, as well as time-dependent variables. The three-day moving average of H2S and PM10 levels were positively associated with the number of in iduals who were dispensed drugs at lag 3-5, corresponding to a 2.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.4, 3.6) and 0.9% (95% CI 0.1, 1.8) per 10 μg/m3 pollutant concentration increase, respectively. Our findings indicated that intermittent increases in levels of particle matter from traffic and natural sources and ambient H2S levels were weakly associated with increased dispensing of drugs for obstructive pulmonary disease in Iceland's capital area. These weak associations could be confounded by unevaluated variables hence further studies are needed.
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 05-2022
DOI: 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2021-059375
Abstract: To assess the trends in medication use indicative of physical and psychological morbidity following the 2010 volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull immediately after and during a 3-year period following the eruption. Population-based register study. Eyjafjallajökull eruption in Iceland, 2007–2013. All residents in Iceland who received at least one medication dispensing were identified. Residents of exposed areas were classified into exposure groups (in idual-level data) and residents in other parts of Iceland were included as a non-exposed group (aggregated data). Eyjafjallajökull erupted on 14 April 2010 and continued for 39 days, producing heavy ash fall in South Iceland. Using interrupted time series analysis, we examined annual and quarterly changes in medicine use, measured as number of dispensed defined daily dose (DDD) per 1000 in iduals. We calculated the level shift (immediate change) and change in slope from pre-eruption to post-eruption (long-term change) in medication dispensing. Among exposed residents, there was a 6% decrease (95% CI -7% to -4%) in the annual number of dispensed DDDs 1-year post-eruption in the overall medication class, including analgesics (−5%, 95% CI -6% to -3%), hypnotics and sedatives (−9%, 95% CI -11% to -7%) and respiratory medications (−7%, 95% CI -9% to -5% −8%, 95% CI -11% to -4%). Simultaneously, there was a 9% decrease (95% CI -14% to -4%) in the overall medication class among non-exposed residents. Moreover, among exposed residents, we observed change in slope of −4% (95% CI -7% to -1%) in the overall medication class, including for analgesics (−6%, 95% CI -8% to -3%) and other respiratory drugs (−10%, 95% CI -16% to -4%). Our findings indicate that the eruption did not lead to increases in medication dispensing among residents of exposed areas, rather decreases for some medicine classes. The results should be interpreted with caution since the content of each eruption differs.
No related grants have been discovered for Hanne Krage Carlsen.