National Research Council, Institute of Clinical Physiology, Unit of Environmental Epidemiology and Disease Registries, Via Moruzzi 1 56100 Pisa, Italy.
Gabriele Monasterio Foundation National Research Council-Tuscany Region, Institute of Clinical Physiology, Via Moruzzi 1 56100 Pisa, Italy.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Nov 25;15(12):2636. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15122636.
Exposure to air pollution has been shown to increase the risk of developing chronic respiratory diseases. The largest crude oil first treatment plant in Italy emits harmful polluting substances. This cross-sectional study assesses the occurrence of respiratory symptoms in a sample of the adult population living near the plant. A proximal and a reference area were defined in order to recruit 200 subjects. Each subject performed a spirometry test and completed a questionnaire. Associations between the distance from the plant and selected respiratory outcomes were assessed (distance-based approach). The prevalence of outcomes between a proximal and a reference area (area-based approach) were also compared. Odds ratios were adjusted for potential confounders. Living near the plant was associated with a higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms, with significant associations for severe dyspnoea equivalent to the halving of risk as the distance of residence from the plant increased by 1 km (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.48, confidence interval at the 95% probability level (95% CI): 0.25⁻0.92). Several signals emerged for respiratory allergic symptoms. The area-based approach generally confirmed the results obtained with the distance-based approach. This is the first study to be carried out on a crude oil first treatment plant aimed at assessing the association with the occurrence of respiratory symptoms. These findings contribute to the evidence supporting the need for a space⁻time surveillance system in the investigated area.
暴露于空气污染会增加患慢性呼吸道疾病的风险。意大利最大的原油首次处理厂排放有害污染物质。这项横断面研究评估了居住在工厂附近的成年人群体中呼吸症状的发生情况。为了招募 200 名受试者，定义了一个近端和一个参考区域。每个受试者都进行了肺功能测试并完成了一份问卷。评估了与工厂距离相关的特定呼吸结果之间的关联（基于距离的方法）。还比较了近端和参考区域之间（基于区域的方法）结果的患病率。调整了潜在混杂因素的比值比。居住在工厂附近与呼吸症状的更高患病率相关，随着居住距离从工厂增加 1 公里，严重呼吸困难的风险显著降低（调整后的比值比 (OR) 0.48，95%概率水平的置信区间 (95%CI)：0.25⁻0.92）。对于呼吸过敏症状，出现了几个信号。基于区域的方法通常证实了基于距离的方法的结果。这是首次针对原油首次处理厂进行的旨在评估与呼吸症状发生相关的研究。这些发现为支持在调查区域内建立时空监测系统的必要性提供了证据。
