The effect of outdoor PM2.5 on labor absenteeism due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) contributes to increased morbidity and mortality and has adverse effects on quality of life, with considerable social and economic costs. This paper presents an exploratory study on the effect of outdoor PM2.5 on labor absenteeism due to COPD in the city of Santiago, Chile. COPD-related sick leave certificates recorded by public health authorities during 2015 were assessed and statistically correlated with PM2.5 concentrations registered at the Pudahuel air quality monitoring station. Pearson correlation analysis and data mining techniques show that there is a statistically significant association between PM2.5 concentrations and the number of COPD-related sick leave records at the Western Health Service in Santiago. The association between daily maximum PM2.5 concentrations and sick leave registers presents stronger support and greater correct prediction frequency, with higher values in the case of women. Fine particle matter concentration levels in Santiago informed in this study are much higher than in most COPD-related work reported in the literature. It must be mentioned that although PM2.5 concentrations were highly correlated with COPD leave of absence, the possible influence of some factors that are known to have an effect on COPD, such as other airborne pollutants (O3, SO2, and NOX) and indoor pollution due to tobacco smoking or fuelwood burning, could not be addressed in this study. Those aspects would need to be considered for more accurate exposure assessment in future work, since findings obtained here confirm the multifactorial character of COPD-related labor absenteeism, with particular attention to gender and socioeconomic conditions.