Deaths and Medical Visits Attributable to Environmental Pollution in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

BackgroundThis study estimates the potential health gains achievable in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with improved controls on environmental pollution. The UAE is an emerging economy in which population health risks have shifted rapidly from infectious diseases to chronic conditions observed in developed nations. The UAE government commissioned this work as part of an environmental health strategic planning project intended to address this shift in the nature of the country’s disease burden.Methods and FindingsWe assessed the burden of disease attributable to six environmental exposure routes outdoor air, indoor air, drinking water, coastal water, occupational environments, and climate change. For every exposure route, we integrated UAE environmental monitoring and public health data in a spatially resolved Monte Carlo simulation model to estimate the annual disease burden attributable to selected pollutants. The assessment included the entire UAE population (4.5 million for the year of analysis). The study found that outdoor air pollution was the leading contributor to mortality, with 651 attributable deaths (95% confidence interval [CI] 143–1,440), or 7.3% of all deaths. Indoor air pollution and occupational exposures were the second and third leading contributors to mortality, with 153 (95% CI 85–216) and 46 attributable deaths (95% CI 26–72), respectively. The leading contributor to health-care facility visits was drinking water pollution, to which 46,600 (95% CI 15,300–61,400) health-care facility visits were attributed (about 15% of the visits for all the diseases considered in this study). Major study limitations included (1) a lack of information needed to translate health-care facility visits to quality-adjusted-life-year estimates and (2) insufficient spatial coverage of environmental data.ConclusionsBased on international comparisons, the UAE’s environmental disease burden is low for all factors except outdoor air pollution. From a public health perspective, reducing pollutant emissions to outdoor air should be a high priority for the UAE’s environmental agencies.

Concentrations, sources and exposure risks associated with particulate matter in the Middle East Area—a review

“…According to the Egyptian Environment Affairs Agency, air pollution in Cairo is responsible for 3,400 deaths, 15,000 cases of bronchitis, and 329,000 cases of respiratory infection each year. Gibson et al (2013) found that outdoor air pollution was the leading contributor to mortality in UAE with 651 attributable deaths, which are~7.3 % of total deaths in 2008.…”

Outdoor particulate matter (PM) and associated cardiovascular diseases in the Middle East

“…Meanwhile, the petrochemical industry, traffic and transported emissions from the outside of this country contributed to the remaining 28% of the total PM 2.5 [75]. to 31 μg/m 3 in 2009 [94]. Nevertheless, in the capital Doha, the average PM 10 levels in 2010 at some points exceeded the annual limit recommended by WHO [54] as a result of the combination of dust from desert storms and megaconstructions activities [94,95].…”

“…to 31 μg/m 3 in 2009 [94]. Nevertheless, in the capital Doha, the average PM 10 levels in 2010 at some points exceeded the annual limit recommended by WHO [54] as a result of the combination of dust from desert storms and megaconstructions activities [94,95]. A prospective cohort study population was conducted to assess the relationship between daily hospital admissions due to respiratory and CVD and the exposure to daily concentrations of air pollutants -carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrates, ozone ( The slight increase observed in the concentrations of these air pollutants in the year 2005 was consistent with a similar increase in the daily hospital admissions due to respiratory, ischemic heart diseases and CVD.…”

Methyl Mercury Exposure through Seafood Diet and Its Effect on Aquatic Life and Health in United Arab Emirates

“…Along the Arabian Gulf 83,600 km 2 is occupied by the UAE, with an estimated population of around 7.5 million (as of 2011). The UAE has a diversified modern economy and resultantly faces similar issues that other industrial nations do in relation to public health and environmental problems due to various industrial activities (Gibson et al, 2013a).…”