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Denise Howel,^1,2 Tanja Pless-Mulloli,¹ and Ross Darnell²

¹Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, ²Department of Statistics, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Abstract

Because of local concerns, general practitioner consultation rates in children living in communities close to and away from open-cast mines were compared. Information on consultations was collected on 2,442 children 1-11 years of age living in five socioeconomically matched pairs of open-cast and control communities in northern England. The data collection periods were 6 weeks each during 1996-1997 and the 52-week periods preceding these weeks. Consultations were categorized as respiratory, skin and eye conditions (possibly exacerbated by particulate matter) , or other conditions. Over the 6-week periods, children in 4/5 pairs of open-cast and control communities had similar consultation rates for all conditions combined [2.7 vs. 2.4 per person-year ; odds ratio (OR) = 1.1 ; 95% confidence interval (CI) , 0.96-1.3) . Consultations were higher in the open-cast communities for respiratory, skin, and eye conditions (2.1 vs. 1.5 per person-year ; OR = 1.4 ; 95% CI, 1.2-1.7) , and respiratory conditions alone (1.5 vs. 1.1 per person-year ; OR = 1.5 ; 95% CI, 1.2-1.8) . However, increases in consultation rates in open-cast communities were generally not seen over the portions of the 52-week periods when the open-cast sites were either active or inactive. Key words: air pollution, children, open-cast coal mining, respiratory tract diseases. Environ Health Perspect 109:567-571 (2001) . [Online 21 May 2001]

http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/109p567-571howel/ abstract.html

Address correspondence to D. Howel, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, The Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom. Telephone: +44 191 222 7381. Fax: +44 191 222 8211. E-mail: d.howel@ncl.ac.uk

We thank the study families and the staff of doctors' surgeries for their cooperation in the collection of health data for this study. The GP data collection was organized by M. Craven and S. Young ; F. Anderson, J. Wotherspoon and S. Ness collected the data.

This study was supported by the U.K. Department of Health and the Department of Environment, Transport and Regions/Medical Research Council (grant AIR/96/9) , and Northern and Yorkshire Regional Research and Development Directorate.

Received 2 May 2000 ; accepted 19 December 2000.