Effects of air pollution caused by sugarcane burning in Western São Paulo on the cardiovascular system

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of acute exposure to air pollutants (NO(2) and PM(10)) on hospitalization of adults and older people with cardiovascular diseases in Western São Paulo. METHODS: Daily cardiovascular-related hospitalization data (CID10 – I00 to I99) were acquired by the Department of Informatics of the Brazilian Unified Health System (DATASUS) from January 2009 to December 2012. Daily levels of NO(2) and PM(10) and weather data were obtained from Companhia Ambiental do Estado de São Paulo (CETESB – São Paulo State Environmental Agency). To estimate the effects of air pollutants exposure on hospital admissions, generalized linear Poisson regression models were used. RESULTS: During the study period, 6,363 hospitalizations were analysed. On the day of NO(2) exposure, an increase of 1.12% (95%CI 0.05–2.20) was observed in the interquartile range along with an increase in hospital admissions. For PM(10), a pattern of similar effect was observed; however, results were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Even though with values within established limits, NO(2) is an important short-term risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity.