Particulate matter pollution and asthma mortality in China: A nationwide time-stratified case-crossover study from 2015 to 2020.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

A national and comprehensive evaluation is lacking on the relationship between short-term exposure to submicron particulate matter (PM1) pollution and asthma mortality.

METHODS:

Data was obtained from 29,553 asthma deaths from the China National Mortality Surveillance System from 2015 to 2020. We used a bilinear interpolation approach to estimate each participant's daily ambient particulate matter pollution and meteorological variables exposure based on their geocoded residential address and a 10 km × 10 km grid from China High Air Pollutants and the fifth generation of European ReAnalysis-Land reanalysis data set. The associations were estimated using a time-stratified case-crossover design and conditional logistic regressions.

RESULTS:

Our results revealed significant associations between short-term exposure to various particulate matter and asthma mortality. The 5-day moving average of particulate matter exposure produced the most pronounced effect. Compared to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and inhalable particulate matter (PM10), significantly stronger effects on asthma mortality related to PM1 pollution were noted. The ERs% for asthma mortality associated with each interquartile range (IQR) increase of exposures to PM1 (IQR: 19.2 μg/m3) was 5.59% (95% CI: 2.11-9.19), which is 14% and 22% higher than that for PM2.5 (IQR: 32.0 μg/m3, 4.82% (95% CI: 1.84-7.90)) and PM10 (IQR: 52.2 μg/m3, 4.37% (95% CI: 1.16-7.69)), respectively. The estimates remained consistent in various sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our study provided national evidence that acute exposures to various ambient particulate matter pollution can increase mortality due to asthma in China, highlighting stronger associations with ambient PM1 than PM2.5 and PM10. China needs to adjust the current ambient air quality standards urgently and pay greater attention to the adverse health effects of PM1.

• Authors: Wei Liu, Jing Wei, Miao Cai, Zhengmin Qian, Zheng Long, Lijun Wang, Michael G Vaughn, Hannah E Aaron, Xunliang Tong, Yanming Li, Peng Yin, Hualiang Lin, Maigeng Zhou
• Journal: Chemosphere (Chemosphere) Vol. 308 Issue Pt 2 Pg. 136316 (Dec 2022) ISSN: 1879-1298 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 36084833 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Air Pollutants
• Particulate Matter

Topics

• Air Pollutants (adverse effects, analysis)
• Asthma (chemically induced, epidemiology)
• Cross-Over Studies
• Environmental Exposure (adverse effects, analysis)
• Humans
• Particulate Matter (adverse effects, analysis)