Abstract

The relationship between air pollution from fine and ultrafines particles in Temuco, Chile, and health effects were studied. By 2010, total medical consultations at the three municipal healthcare offices analyzed were 81,538 consultations, with a total of 19,449 respiratory consultations. Significant statistical associations were found between daily morbidity for respiratory diseases and daily fine and ultrafine particles, mainly in elder populations. The finer the particulate matter, the greater the relative risk for respiratory illness when ultrafine particles increase by 10 ?g/cu m. The results suggest that residential wood combustion may be responsible for increased morbidity in that urban area. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the 105th AWMA Annual Conference and Exhibition 2012 (San Antonio, TX 6/19-22/2012).