Health Endpoint of Exposure to Criteria Air Pollutants in Ambient Air of on a Populated in Ahvaz City, Iran

Abstract

The presence of criteria air pollutants (CAP) in the ambient air of a populated inhalation region is one of the main serious public health concerns. The present study evaluated the number of cardiovascular mortalities (CM), hospital admissions with cardiovascular disease (HACD), and hospital admissions for respiratory disease (HARD) due to CAP exposure between 2010 and 2014. The study used the Air Q model and descriptive analysis to investigate the health endpoint attributed to the ground level of ozone (O₃), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfide dioxide (SO₂), and particle matter (PM₁₀). Baseline incidence (BI) and relative risk (RR) are the most important factors in the evaluation of health outcomes from exposure to CAP in the ambient air of a populated area according to EPA and the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Our study showed that annual cases of cardiovascular mortality during the period 2010-2014 relating to particle mater were 478, 506, 469, 427, and 371; ozone was 19, 24, 43, 56, and 49; nitrogen dioxide was 18, 20, 23, 27, and 21; and sulfide dioxide was 26, 31, 37, 43 and 11, in the years 2010 to 2014, respectively. These results indicate that the number of hospital admissions for respiratory disease attributed to PM were 2054, 2277, 2675, 2042, and 1895; O₃ was 27, 35, 58, 73, and 63; NO₂ was 23, 24, 15, 25, and 18; and SO₂ was 23, 24, 25, 30, and 20, in the years from 2010 to 2014, respectively. The results also showed that the number of hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease related to particle mater was 560, 586, 529, 503, and 472; ozone was 22, 32, 38, 55, and 51; nitrogen dioxide was 19, 18, 13, 21, and 14; and sulfide dioxide was 12, 14, 16, 22, and 9, in the same period, respectively. Observations showed that most of the pollution was from outdoor air and in the human respiratory tract. Increased levels of sulfide dioxide, particle matter, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone can cause additional morbidity and mortality for exposed populations. According to the results, it is possible to help increase the level of public health. The use of these findings could also be of great help to health professionals and facilitators at regional and national levels.

Keywords: Iran; air pollutants; cardiovascular disease; cardiovascular mortality; health endpoint; respiratory disease.