A 10-year time-series analysis of respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity in Nicosia, Cyprus: the effect of short-term changes in air pollution and dust storms

Abstract

Background -: To date, a substantial body of research has shown adverse health effects of short-term changes in levels of air pollution. Such associations have not been investigated in smaller size cities in the Eastern Mediterranean. A particular feature in the region is dust blown from the Sahara a few times a year resulting in extreme PM 10 concentrations. It is not entirely clear whether such natural phenomena pose the same risks.

Desert dust impacts on human health: an alarming worldwide reality and a need for studies in West Africa

“…These findings support results obtained for a 10-year time-series analysis of morbidity in Cyprus. Allcause and cardiovascular admissions were 4.8 % and 10.4 % higher on Saharan dust storm days, respectively (Middleton et al 2008). On the Caribbean island of Trinidad, a deterioration in visibility due to increased Saharan dust cover from not dusty (visibility 016 km) to very dusty (visibility07 km) is temporally associated with an increased daily hospital admission rate from 7.8 patients to 9.25 when climate variables such as barometric pressure and humidity were kept constant (Gyan et al 2005).…”

“…More recently, it has been shown that the number paediatric hospital admissions increases for up to 7 days from the peak of dust cover (Monteil 2008). Lee et al 2007) and more than one every 2 days according to others Middleton et al 2008;Monteil 2008). A daily PM 10 concentration exceeding 600 μg m −3 recorded during a dust episode in Seoul in 2002 (Hwang et al 2008) 344 μg m −3 were recorded at Nouakchott (Mauritania) in 2000 .…”

“…Three main trajectories of dust from the Saharan source area are distinguished ). The first is over thousands of kilometres and crosses the Atlantic Ocean to the United States, the Caribbean and South America (Chiapello et al 1995;Kellogg et al 2004); the second carries dust to the Mediterranean and Europe (Kellogg et al 2004;Perez et al 2008); and the third transports dust to the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East (Kubilay et al 2003;Middleton et al 2008). Each of these trajectories can be seen at a specific period of the year, with intensity varying annually .…”

Health Impact Assessment Associated with Exposure to PM10 and Dust Storms in Kuwait

“…Daily PM 10 levels over 200 µg/m 3 were suggested for small to medium scale dust events, while a higher cut-off point of 400 µg/m 3 was used to define severe dust events [5,6]. Other studies have used much lower PM 10 levels to identify dust storm days [7][8][9][10].…”

Assessment of long-term measurements of particulate matter and gaseous pollutants in South-East Mediterranean

“…The impact of air pollution on public health -especially of the airborne particulate matter (PM) -has been of major interest over the last decade to both the air quality management community and regulatory authorities (Heal et al, 2012;Middleton et al, 2008). The European Union Directive on Air Quality 2008/50/EC sets the general legislative framework on the air quality assessment in populated areas (see Supplementary Information, SI, Table S1Table S1)..…”