Effects of PM10 and Weather on Respiratory and Cardiovascular Diseases in the Ciuc Basin (Romanian Carpathians)

Abstract

This study presents the PM10 concentration, respiratory and cardiovascular disease hospital admissions evolution in the Ciuc basin for a period of 9 years (2008–2016), taking into consideration different meteorological conditions: boundary layer, lifting condensation level, temperature-humidity index, and wind chill equivalent chart index. The PM10 and hospital admissions evolution showed a very fluctuated hourly, weekly, monthly, yearly tendency. The PM10 concentration in winter (34.72 μg/m3) was 82% higher than the multiannual average (19.00 μg/m3), and almost three times higher than in summer (11.71 μg/m3). During the winter, PM10 concentration increased by an average of 9.36 μg/m3 due to the increased household heating. Climatological parameters have a demonstrable effect on the PM10 concentration variation. Children, the elderly and men are more sensitive to air pollution, the calculated relative risk for men was (RR = 1.45), and for women (RR = 1.37), respectively. A moderate correlation (0.51) was found between PM10 and pneumonia (P), while a relatively weak correlation (0.39) was demonstrated in the case of PM10 and upper respiratory tract infections (URTI). Furthermore, except thermal humidity index (THI), strong negative correlations were observed between the multiannual monthly mean PM10 and the meteorological data. The PM10 followed a moderate negative correlation with the boundary layer (−0.61). In the case of URTI and P, the highest number of hospital admissions occurred with a 5 to 7-day lag, while the 10 μg/m3 PM10 increase resulted in a 2.04% and 8.28% morbidity increase. For lung cancer (LC) and cardiovascular diseases (AMI, IHD, CCP), a maximum delay of 5-6 months was found. Three-month delay and an average growth of 1.51% was observed in the case of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Overall, these findings revealed that PM10 was and it is responsible for one-third of the diseases.

Long-term exposure to PM10 above WHO guidelines exacerbates COVID-19 severity and mortality

“…Our results demonstrate that the current guideline concentration of PM 10 fixed by the WHO in 20 µg/m 3 , the air quality standard established by the Directive 2008/50/EU in 40 µg/m 3 , and that of the US-EPA in 50 µg/m 3 , are not safe. It is well established that the long-term exposure to these PM 10 concentrations is likely to enhance the development of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases ( Rovira et al, 2019 , Polichetti et al, 2009 , Beelen et al, 2014 , Elbarbary et al, 2021 , Bodor et al, 2021 , Tahery et al, 2021 ). In addition, subjects infected with respiratory viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and exposed to PM 10 above the present legal thresholds are more prone to develop a severe COVID-19 - or even to die - after SARS-CoV-2 infection.…”

The human health risk assessment of particulate air pollution (PM2.5 and PM10) in Romania

“…Since PM 2.5 and PM 10 have different physico-chemical properties the ratio between the fine and coarse particulate (PM 2.5 /PM 10 ) can offer more details about the particulate source, origination process, and human health impact [19] , [2] , [38] , [39] , [4] , [7] , [9] . Coarse particles (PM 10 ) can get in deep into the respiratory tract, causing a serious respiratory disease [13] , [17] , [24] , [30] , [5] . However, due to the smaller size, the fine particles can pass via the respiratory tract and accumulate in the lungs causing different respiratory diseases as well as lung cancer [12] , [14] , [27] , [33] , [37] .…”

Environmental Health Risk Assessment of Air Pollutants in Online Motorcycle Taxi Drivers in the Special Capital Region of Jakarta

“…It is predicted that men and the elderly are more susceptible to PM 10 exposure (22). Another study also stated that an increase in PM 10 level was associated with an escalation of respiratory disorder cases, and individuals in the age group under 5 years and over 60 years are more susceptible (23).…”