Respiratory Symptoms and Air Pollution in an Urban Population of Northeastern United States

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Abstract
A study of the relationship of respiratory symptoms to air pollution from both suspended particulates and oxides of sulfur was undertaken in a random sample of white women in Buffalo during the period 1961 to 1963. Smokers had higher rates of cough with phlegm than did non- smokers. A positive association (0.25 > P > 0.10) between cough with phlegm and suspended particulate air pollution was revealed among nonsmokers 45 years of age and older. An interaction among smokers between residential mobility and respiratory symptomatology was indicated. Among smokers with stable residential histories, cough with phlegm was positively associated with air pollution at place of current residence; while among those smokers who had moved within the previous five years, it was inverse (P < 0.01). There was no positive association between respiratory symptoms and oxides of sulfur air pollution. The analysis indicated that the association was not attributable to differences in social class between the air pollution levels.

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