The Public Health and Air Pollution in Asia (PAPA) Project: Estimating the Mortality Effects of Particulate Matter in Bangkok, Thailand

Abstract

BackgroundAir pollution data in Bangkok, Thailand, indicate that levels of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm (PM10) are significantly higher than in most cities in North America and Western Europe, where the health effects of PM10 are well documented. However, the pollution mix, seasonality, and demographics are different from those in developed Western countries. It is important, therefore, to determine whether the large metropolitan area of Bangkok is subject to similar effects of PM10.ObjectivesThis study was designed to investigate the mortality risk from air pollution in Bangkok, Thailand.MethodsThe study period extended from 1999 to 2003, for which the Ministry of Public Health provided the mortality data. Measures of air pollution were derived from air monitoring stations, and information on temperature and relative humidity was obtained from the weather station in central Bangkok. The statistical analysis followed the common protocol for the multicity PAPA (Public Health and Air Pollution Project in Asia) project in using a natural cubic spline model with smooths of time and weather.ResultsThe excess risk for non-accidental mortality was 1.3% [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.8–1.7] per 10 μg/m3 of PM10, with higher excess risks for cardiovascular and above age 65 mortality of 1.9% (95% CI, 0.8–3.0) and 1.5% (95% CI, 0.9–2.1), respectively. In addition, the effects from PM10 appear to be consistent in multipollutant models.ConclusionsThe results suggest strong associations between several different mortality outcomes and PM10. In many cases, the effect estimates were higher than those typically reported in Western industrialized nations.

Seasonal effects of PM10 concentrations on mortality in Tianjin, China: a time-series analysis

“…Where t refers to the day of the observation; E (Yt|X) denotes estimated daily case counts on day t; S () denotes the penalized smoothing spline; 3-8 degrees of freedom (df) per year for time were tested and the df that was chosen had the smallest sum of the absolute partial autocorrelation values over a 30-day lag period ; df*4 denotes the product of 4 (there are 4 years from 2006 to 2009) and df; temperature indicates lag 0-14 average daily mean temperature prior to the death events considering the lagging effects of mean temperature; relative humidity denotes the current day's relative humidity Vichit-Vadakan et al 2008); dow is day of week; holiday is treated as a dummy variable (0 or 1 denote not holiday or holiday) (Morris and Naumova 1998;Roberts 2004).…”

Characteristics of the Exposure-Response Relationship of Particulate Matter and Mortality

“…22 After combining the data of lag0/1 from all the seven cities, the nonaccidental mortality risk significantly increased by 0.24% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.04 to 0.45), and the cardiovascular mortality risk significantly increased by 0.29% (95% CI, 0.09 to 0.5) for every 10-mg/m 3 increase in PM 10 concentration.…”

Cluster analysis of inorganic elements in particulate matter in the air environment of an equatorial urban coastal location

“…Furthermore, exposure to higher concentrations of fine particulate matter which contains inorganic elements can have deleterious health impacts on living organisms [4]. Short-and long-term exposure to particulate matter are related to mortality, hospital admission, decreased lung function and related health symptoms [5]; a study by Vichit-Vadakan et al [6] reported a statistical significance between daily mortality and concentrations of PM 10 . PM 10 or particulate matter < 10 μm can penetrate the trachea and lower aerodynamic diameter fractions can even reach the alveoli [7].…”