Air pollution increases the risk of elderly people being hospitalised for pneumonia.

Mark Loeb from McMaster University and colleagues measured the impact of exposure to nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide for long on older adults for hospitalization for pneumonia.

“Our study found that among older individuals, long-term exposure to traffic pollution independently increased their risk of hospitalization for pneumonia,” said Loeb.

The researchers for conducting their study recruited 365 aged adults from Hamilton. These adults were hospitalized with radiologically confirmed pneumonia between July 2003 and April 2005.

The researchers found that exposure to higher levels of nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter of less than 2.5 micrometres or more for 12 months doubled the risk of hospitalization due to pneumonia. However exposure to sulfur dioxide could not be linked with an increased risk of hospitalization.

The researchers showed concern that this problem needs to be dealt with to reduce air pollution.

The results are to be published in the January 1 next year in the issue of American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.