Associations between Ambient Particulate Sulfate and Admissions to Ontario Hospitals for Cardiac and Respiratory Diseases

Abstract

The association of daily cardiac and respiratory admissions to 168 acute care hospitals in Ontario, Canada, with daily levels of particulate sulfates was examined over the 6-year period 1983–1988. Sulfate levels were recorded at nine monitoring stations in regions of southern and central Ontario spanned by three monitoring networks. A 13-μg/m³ increase in sulfates recorded on the day prior to admission (the 95th percentile) was associated with a 3.7% (p Am J Epidemiol 1995;142:15–22.