ECONOMIC COSTS OF HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS DUE TO CIRCULATORY DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH AIR POLLUTION IN VOLTA REDONDA, RJ
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.16891/2317-434X.v11.e2.a2023.pp2160-2170Abstract
Air pollution is a public health problem and an obstacle to sustainable growth in cities. This study aimed to analyze the association between air pollution and hospital admissions for diseases of the circulatory system in the population of Volta Redonda / RJ in the period from 2013 to 2015, as well as their economic costs. The municipality has high polluting potential due to industrial activities and an intense flow of vehicles in the urban area. By estimating the dose-response function (Generalized Additive Model) that considered daily admissions for diseases of the circulatory system and data from the municipality's automatic monitoring stations for pollutants (PTS, PM10 and O3) and climatic variables can be concluded by increase in the relative risk of hospitalizations explained by exposure to PTS and PM10 in different lags. Of the total number of hospitalizations by the group of diseases considered (5,302), it was estimated that 10.9% were associated with exposure to pollutants, generating an avoidable cost of R$ 1,268,188.08 to the public health system. The results highlight the importance of carrying out urban and transport projects that seek to reduce pollution levels in urban areas, which tends to improve the well-being of the population in these areas for present and future generations.