Analysis of ozone concentration in New York City and ozone attributable asthma hospitalizations from 2009-2010

Analysis of ozone concentration in New York City and ozone attributable asthma hospitalizations from 2009-2010

Ozone is responsible for increasing susceptibility to respiratory infections, increasing likelihood of asthma attacks, and inflammation of the lungs, as well as chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and decreased lung function. Ozone naturally exists in the stratosphere to protect organisms on Earth from UV rays from the sun. However, an accumulation of ozone in the ground level can cause adverse health effects. Ozone is a secondary pollutant, meaning it is produced when two primary pollutants combine together. When an oxygen atom combines with another oxygen atom it forms a molecule of ozone (O3). The ozone absorbs high-energy ultraviolet radiation, not allowing it to reach the Earth’s surface. The ozone is responsible for warming the upper part of the stratosphere. It is created when emissions from factories and vehicles combine with sunlight. Ozone reaches high levels on sunny days.

The New York City Community Air Survey began monitoring the air quality of New York City in 2008. The NYCCAS suggested in 2018 that the air in New York City is cleaner than it has ever been since monitoring began in 2008. The NYCCAS also mentioned that ozone levels are higher in the outer boroughs, especially in those that are downwind from high emissions areas. Staten Island has the highest average ozone concentrations. This is likely caused by residents commuting by car more than any other borough and its proximity to factories in New Jersey. Based on this information, we hypothesize that Staten Island will have the highest average ozone concentration, and therefore have the highest amount of ozone attributable hospitalizations.

Based on the data set from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene accessed from the New York Open Data Set, there is a negative correlation between ozone concentration and hospitalizations categorized by borough. The open data set is accessible, public data about NYC’s environment and statistics. The data exists as an opportunity for the public to interact and be knowledgeable about NYC as well as be able to contribute to it. We have used it to analyze a correlation between the average ozone concentration in each borough and the number of ozone attributable hospitalizatization for Children 0-17 years and Adults 18 years and older during the years 2009-2010. Children 0-17 years have the highest amount of hospitalizations in each borough. As expected, Staten Island has the highest average ozone concentration, but they have the lowest amount of hospitalizations for Children 0-17 years and Adults 18 years and older. In contrast, the Bronx has the third highest average ozone concentration but the highest amount of hospitalizations in either category. This could be because the Bronx has the highest population of people with asthma, which ozone is known to exacerbate. Therefore, the residents in the Bronx already have a higher amount of existing comorbidities that would cause them to be hospitalized at a higher rate than residents in other boroughs, who don’t have as many pre-existing conditions.

References
“About Ozone (O3).” (n.d). New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Accessed December 1, 2020. https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8400.html.
Air Quality. NYC Open Data. (2014, October 24). https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Environment/Air-Quality/c3uy-2p5r.
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. (2003, May). Asthma Facts. https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/asthma/facts.pdf.
Griffin, A. (2018, April 20). Staten Island’s air quality unhealthiest in city, report says. Silive. https://www.silive.com/news/erry-2018/04/d0d420e1d96163/staten_island_has_worst_air_po.html.
“Ground-Level Ozone Basics.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, September 10, 2020. https://www.epa.gov/ground-level-ozone-pollution/ground-level-ozone-basics.
New York City’s Air is Cleaner Than It Has Ever Been Since Monitoring Began. The official website of the City of New York. (2018, April 19). https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/204-18/new-york-city-s-air-cleaner-it-has-ever-been-since-monitoring-began.
“What Is Ozone?” National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Accessed December 1, 2020. https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/752034main_Ozone_Hole_Poster.pdf.

Katiera Dickinson
Kayla Hankey
Abby Huang
Kimberly Nuñez