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BACK GROUND OF THE STUDY: Air pollution results in increased exacerbations of chronic
cardiopulmonary disease which in turn is reflected in the form of increased emergency room visits (ERV).
Emergency room visits can be a direct result of short-term exposure to air pollution.ERV is more
experienced by urban populations in both developed and developing countries and cardio-respiratory
illness is among the leading causes of hospitalization.The Harvard Six Cities study inferred that every 10
μg / m3 increase in fine particle mass was associated with 2.1% increase in deaths due to ischemic heart
disease. Aim of the study: To evaluate the emergency room visits in major government hospitals of
Chennai city for a select period and to evaluate the feasibility of using the data on particulate matter
levels in examining the association between PM 10 and emergency room visits. Materials and Methods:
Hospital data of emergency room visits (ERV) for the years 2006, 2007 & 2008 due to cardio vascular
illness was collected from the Medical Records Department of two of the three major government
hospitals of Chennai and was categorized by gender and age as well as the relevant ICD codes (ICD
version 10) for the period January 2006 to December 2008. Results: The incidence of cardiovascular
related health hazards were analysed accordingly. The number of males reported for emergency room
visits was higher than females. The maximum number of visits among the adults was in the age group of
45-65.The PM10 level has shown a 50% increase from 2006 to 2008.Conclusion: The study reveals an
alarming increase in ERV due to cardiovascular causes in the urban population of Chennai which could
be due to increased levels of ambient air pollution (PM 10) due to rapid urbanisation and poor hygiene.
ERV can be used as a health indicator in the on-going air pollution study and has potential applications
in future in assessing the trend of health status in urban population.
Key words: Emergency room visits (ERV), ambient air pollution, and urban population. Cardio vascular disease.