title: Short-Term Effect of Coarse Particles on Daily Mortality Rate in A Tropical City, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
abstract: Many studies examined the short-term effects of air pollution on frequency of daily mortality over the past two decades. However, information on the relationship between exposure to levels of coarse particles (PM(2.5-10)) and daily mortality rate is relatively sparse due to limited availability of monitoring data and findings are inconsistent. This study was undertaken to determine whether an association exists between PM(2.5-10) levels and rate of daily mortality in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, a large industrial city with a tropical climate. Daily mortality rate, air pollution parameters, and weather data for Kaohsiung were obtained for the period 2006-2008. The relative risk (RR) of daily mortality occurrence was estimated using a time-stratified case-crossover approach, controlling for (1) weather variables, (2) day of the week, (3) seasonality, and (4) long-term time trends. For the single-pollutant model without adjustment for other pollutants, PM(2.5-10) exposure levels showed significant correlation with total mortality rate both on warm and cool days, with an interquartile range increase associated with a 14% (95% CI = 5-23%) and 12% (95% CI = 5-20%) rise in number of total deaths, respectively. In two-pollutant models, PM(2.5-10) exerted significant influence on total mortality frequency after inclusion of sulfur dioxide (SO(2)) on warm days. On cool days, PM(2.5-10) induced significant elevation in total mortality rate when SO(2) or ozone (O(3)) was added in the regression model. There was no apparent indication of an association between PM(2.5-10) exposure and deaths attributed to respiratory and circulatory diseases. This study provided evidence of correlation between short-term exposure to PM(2.5-10) and increased risk of death for all causes.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Healthcare Administration , I-Shou University , Kaohsiung , Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shang-Shyue
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: b Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital , Chang Gung University College of Medicine , Taipei , Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Hao
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.affiliation: c Master Program in Global Health and Development, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University , Taipei , Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ya-Wen
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.affiliation: d Department of Public Health , College of Health Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University , Kaohsiung , Taiwan.|e Division of Environmental Health and Occupational Medicine , National Health Research Institute , Miaoli , Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chun-Yuh
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002947:Cities / Q000453:epidemiology; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010316:Particle Size; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000633:toxicity*; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014329:Tropical Climate; D014887:Weather
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter