Short-Term Effects of Fine Particulate Air Pollution on Emergency Room Visits for Cardiac Arrhythmias: A Case-Crossover Study in Taipei

This study was undertaken to determine whether there was an association between fine particles (PM2.5) levels and number of emergency room (ER) visits for cardiac arrhythmias in Taipei, Taiwan. ER visits for cardiac arrhythmias and ambient air pollution data for Taipei were obtained for the period 2006-2010. The relative risk (RR) of ER visits was estimated using a case-crossover approach, controlling for weather variables, day of the week, seasonality, and long-term time trends. For the single-pollutant model (without adjustment for other pollutants), increased numbers of ER cardiac arrhythmia visits were significantly associated with PM2.5 on both warm days (>23 degrees C) and cool days (< 23 degrees C), with an interquartile range rise associated with a 10% (95% CI = -15%) and 4% (95% CI = 0-8%) elevation in number of ER visits for cardiac arrhythmias, respectively. In the two-pollutant models, PM2.5 levels remained significant after inclusion of sulfur dioxide (SO2) or ozone (O-3) on both warm and cool days. This study provides evidence that higher levels of PM2.5 increase the risk of number of ER visits for cardiac arrhythmias.