EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY ON VOLCANIC AIR POLLUTION

Research Project

Project/Area Number	63570259
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	公衆衛生学
Research Institution	KAGOSHIMA UNIVERSITY
Principal Investigator	WAKISAKA Ichiro Kagoshima Univ., Fac. of Med., Professor, 医学部, 教授 (90041269)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	ANDO Tetsuo Kagoshima Univ., Fac. of Med., Assistant, 医学部, 助手 (10107865) TOMARI Tsutomu Kagoshima Univ., Fac. of Med., Assistant, 医学部, 助手 (00136855) YANAGIHASHI Tsuguo Kagoshima Univ., Fac. of Med., Assist. Prof., 医学部, 助教授 (40124854)
Project Period (FY)	1988 – 1989
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 1989)
Budget Amount *help	¥2,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,100,000) Fiscal Year 1989: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000) Fiscal Year 1988: ¥1,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000)
Keywords	Volcanic Air Pollution / Respiratory Disease / Mortality Figure / Time-series Analysis / Mt. Sakurajima / Patients' Consultation / Sulfur Dioxide / National Health Insurance / 時系列解析 / 亜硫酸ガス濃度
Research Abstract	(1) The area at the foot of Mt. Sakurajima was compared to the lot of Kagoshima city for standardized mortality ratios for selected respiratory diseases covering a 7-year period 1980 to 1986. In addition, a time-series analysis of the pattern for the monthly distribution of deaths due to the respiratory diseases in Kagoshima city. Results obtained are as follows; 1) Age-adjusted rate for the mortality due to non-communicable chronic respiratory diseases was apparently higher in Sakurajima area than in Kagoshima area. 2) Seasonal variation of monthly deaths due to the respiratory diseases during the 7 years showed a stable seasonality with a maximum peak in winter over a 12-month period. In addition, to the winter peak, other peaks in July or August were observed in almost every year. 3) Results of correlational analysis showed a significant association for seasonally varying factors between monthly deaths due to respiratory diseases and the coincident monthly variations of sulfur dioxi … More de concentration. Monthly variations for factors with no regular patterns showed no significant association between the monthly deaths due to respiratory diseases and coincident levels of sulfur dioxide or total suspended particles. (2) Using the national health insurance bills covering the one-year period from January through December 1987, the morbidity figures for respiratory diseases, conjunctivitis and dermatitis were compared among four local districts; Ushine, Kaikata, Kunugibaru and Shinjo, in the city of Tarumizu. The former two districts are 10 km south-east of Mt. Sakurajima supposedly experience higher volcanic ash exposure compared to the latter two located 10 to 15 km from this volcano. Results obtained are as follows; 1) Age-adjusted rates of patients' consultations and existing patients were apparently higher in the Ushine and Kaikata districts than in the Kunugibaru and Shinjo districts for non-infectious or infectious respiratory diseases and the common cold. For the rates of other diagnostic categories of disease, a difference between the districts was not clearly noted. 2) Variations of monthly clinical consultations for patients with diagnoses of non-infectious or infectious respiratory diseases and the common cold showed a seasonality, being highest in winter and lowest in summer. In addition, the variations in the monthly average of sulfur dioxide concentrations showed a stable seasonality with the highest in winter and the lowest in summer but there was no stable seasonality in the monthly variations of total suspended particles. 3) A few patients diagnosed as having "pneumoconiosis" were found in the Ushine and Kaikata districts. However, it is difficult to interpret these cases without information about occupational and other risk factors for the development of pneumoconiosis. Less