Hebert Wertheim School of Public Health, University of California, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Apr 14;19(8):4743. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19084743.
Mineral dust is one of the largest natural constituents of coarse particulate matter (PM). Most of these dust emissions originate from northern Africa, and several hundred tera-grams of dust are emitted annually from this region. Previous evidence has linked dust PM to adverse respiratory outcomes in children. However, most of these studies have been from high-income countries (HICs) or examined dust from other regions of the world, mainly Asia. Evidence from low-to-middle-income countries (LMICs) in Africa is scarce. Respiratory infections are one of the leading causes of under-five mortality across the globe. However, there is a poignant disparity in studies examining these outcomes in children in the region where most dust is emitted. This study linked remotely sensed satellite data to a nationally representative survey to examine acute exposure to dust in children living in Benin using a time-stratified case-crossover analysis. We identified acute effects of exposure to dust and increased risk of cough in children under five. The effect of increased risk is strongest within two weeks of exposure and dissipates by four weeks. Children living in rural areas and households with lower income had a greater risk of adverse respiratory outcomes when exposed to dust. We could elucidate the specific period and conditions of increased risk for respiratory problems in children living in Benin.
矿物质尘埃是粗颗粒物（PM）的最大天然成分之一。这些尘埃排放物大多来自北非，该地区每年排放数百太克的尘埃。先前的证据表明，尘埃 PM 与儿童的不良呼吸后果有关。然而，这些研究大多来自高收入国家（HIC）或研究来自世界其他地区的尘埃，主要是亚洲。来自非洲中低收入国家（LMIC）的证据很少。呼吸道感染是全球五岁以下儿童死亡的主要原因之一。然而，在尘埃排放量最大的地区，研究这些儿童的结果存在明显差异。本研究将遥感卫星数据与一项全国代表性调查联系起来，使用时间分层病例交叉分析，研究贝宁儿童急性暴露于尘埃的情况。我们发现，儿童急性暴露于尘埃会增加咳嗽的风险。暴露后两周内风险增加的影响最强，四周后消失。暴露于尘埃时，生活在农村地区和收入较低家庭的儿童患呼吸道不良后果的风险更大。我们可以阐明贝宁儿童患呼吸道问题的风险增加的具体时期和条件。
