Ambient Air Pollution And Emergency Department Visits Among Children And Adults In Casablanca, Morocco

This study presents the relationships between ambient air pollutants and morbidity and emergency department visits among children and adults performed in Great Casablanca, the most populated and economic region in Morocco. This research was analyzed using conditional Poisson model for the period 2011-2013. In the period of study, the daily average concentrations of SO2, NO2, O-3 and PM10 in Casablanca were 209.4 mu g/m(3), 61 mu g/m(3), 113.2 mu g/m(3) and 75.1 mu g/m(3), respectively. In children less than 5 years old, risk of asthma could be increased until 12% per 10 mu g/m(3) increase in NO2, PM10, SO2 and O-3. In children over 5 years and adults, an increase of 10 mu g/m(3) air pollutant can cause an increase until 3% and 4% in respiratory consultations and acute respiratory infection, respectively. Similarly, impact on emergency department visits due to respiratory and cardiac illness was established. Our results suggest a not negligible impact on morbidity of outdoor air pollution by NO2, SO2, O-3, and PM10.