Investigation of the Effect of Long-Term Exposure to Outdoor Air Pollution on Deaths in Konya with AirQ+ Software

Abstract

Outdoor air pollution is one of the biggest environmental risks to public health and a problem that affects everyone in low-, middle- and high-income countries. Particulate matter (PM) is a common air pollutant consisting of a mixture of solid and liquid particles suspended in the air. PM2.5 and PM10 are the most common and are health related. The World Health Organization declared Particulate Matter (PM) as a carcinogen in 2013. The aim of this study was to calculate how much of the adult deaths aged 30 and over in Konya can be attributed to outdoor air pollution caused by PM2.5 pollutant. AirQ+ software was used to calculate the cases of deaths attributed to PM10 and PM2.5. The results show that 2163 premature deaths in 2017, 1582 in 2018 and 1278 in 2019 from long-term exposure to PM2.5 could be prevented if the PM2.5 concentration in the region does not exceed the recommended threshold of 10 µg/m3. Air pollution level is quite high in Konya. In the calculation made using AirQ+ software, the death rate attributable to air pollution in the population aged 30 and over was high, similar to previous studies in Turkey. The findings show that many premature deaths can be prevented by preventing air pollution.

Keywords

• Air Pollution
• Mortality
• Premature Deaths
• AirQ+
• Particulate Matter

Konya’da Dış Ortam Hava Kirliliğine Uzun Süre Maruziyetin Ölümler Üzerine Etkisinin AirQ+ Yazılımı ile İncelenmesi

Abstract

Dış ortam hava kirliliği, halk sağlığına yönelik en büyük çevresel risklerden biridir ve düşük, orta ve yüksek gelirli ülkelerde herkesi etkileyen bir sorundur. Partikül madde (PM), havada asılı duran katı ve sıvı partiküllerin karışımından oluşan yaygın bir hava kirleticisidir. PM2.5 ve PM10 en yaygın olanlarıdır ve sağlıkla ilgilidir. Dünya Sağlık Örgütü, Partikül Maddeyi 2013 yılında kanserojen olarak ilan etti. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Konya'da 30 yaş ve üstü yetişkin ölümlerinin ne kadarının PM2.5 kirleticisinin neden olduğu dış hava kirliliğine bağlanabileceğini hesaplamaktır. PM10 ve PM2.5'e atfedilen ölüm vakalarını hesaplamak için AirQ+ yazılımı kullanıldı. Sonuçlar, 2017'de 2163, 2018'de 1582 ve 2019'da 1278 erken ölümün, bölgedeki PM2.5 konsantrasyonunun tavsiye edilen 10 µg/m3 eşiğini aşmaması halinde önlenebileceğini göstermektedir. Konya'da hava kirliliği düzeyi oldukça yüksektir. AirQ+ yazılımı kullanılarak yapılan hesaplamada, Türkiye'de daha önce yapılan araştırmalara benzer şekilde 30 yaş ve üstü nüfusta hava kirliliğine bağlı ölüm oranı yüksek çıkmıştır. Elde edilen bulgular hava kirliliğini önleyerek birçok erken ölümün önlenebileceğini göstermektedir.

Keywords

• Hava Kirliliği
• Mortalite
• Erken Ölümler
• AirQ+
• Partikül Madde

References

1. Altunok, A., & Eskiocak, M. (2020). Trakya’da partiküler madde kirliliği ve mortalite ilişkisinin değerlendirilmesi. Turkish Journal of Public Health, 18(3), 124-132.
2. Çiftçi, Ç., Dursun, Ş., Levend, S., & Fatma, K. U. N. T. (2013). Topoğrafik yapı, iklim şartları ve kentleşmenin Konya’da hava kirliliğine etkisi. Avrupa Bilim ve Teknoloji Dergisi, 1(1), 19-24.
3. Hajizadeh, Y., Jafari, N., Mohammadi, A., Momtaz, S. M., Fanaei, F., & Abdolahnejad, A. (2020). Concentrations and mortality due to short-and long-term exposure to PM2. 5 in a megacity of Iran (2014–2019). Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(30), 38004-38014.
4. Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL). (2017). HEAL in Turkey: 8 out of 10 most polluted cities in Europe are in Turkey. Retrieved December 01, 2022 from https://www.env-health.org/heal-in-turkey-8-out-of-10-most-polluted-cities-in-europe-are-in-turkey/.
5. Kahraman, A. C., & Sivri, N. (2022). Comparison of metropolitan cities for mortality rates attributed to ambient air pollution using the AirQ model. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(28), 43034-43047.
6. Konya İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü. (2023). Retrieved November 12, 2022 from https://konyakultur.gov.tr/index.php?route=pages/pages&page_id=2
7. Landrigan, P. J., & Fuller, R. (2015). Global health and environmental pollution. International journal of public health, 60(7), 761-762.
8. Nikoonahad, A., Naserifar, R., Alipour, V., Poursafar, A., Miri, M., Ghafari, H. R., ... & Mohammadi, A. (2017). Assessment of hospitalization and mortality from exposure to PM10 using AirQ modeling in Ilam, Iran. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 24(27), 21791-21796.

9. Pala, K., Aykac, N., & Yasin, Y. (2021). Premature deaths attributable to long-term exposure to PM2. 5 in Turkey. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(37), 51940-51947.
10. Pope Iii, C. A., Burnett, R. T., Thun, M. J., Calle, E. E., Krewski, D., Ito, K., & Thurston, G. D. (2002). Lung cancer, cardiopulmonary mortality, and long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution. Jama, 287(9), 1132-1141.21.
11. Roser, M. (2021, November 25). Data Review: How many people die from air pollution? Retrieved December 01, 2022 from https://ourworldindata.org/data-review-air-pollution-deaths.
12. T.C. Çevre, Şehircilik ve İklim Değişikliği Bakanlığı. (Ocak, 2023). Çevre, Şehircilik ve İklim Değişikliği Bakanlığı | Ulusal Hava Kalite İzleme Ağı. Retrieved January 01, 2023 from http://www.havaizleme.gov.tr/
13. Temiz Hava Hakkı Platformu Kara Rapor 2021. (2022). Retrieved December 10, 2022 from www.ttb.org.tr/userfiles/files/KaraRapor2021.pdf.
14. Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TUİK). (2023). Retrieved December 01, 2022 from https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Kategori/GetKategori?p=Nufus-ve-Demografi-109.
15. Türk Tabipler Birliği-Halk Sağlığı Umanları Derneği-Türk Toraks Derneği-Türkiye Solunum Araştırmaları Derneği-İş ve Meslek Hastalıkları Uzmanları Derneği. (2015). Türkiye’de hava kirliliği ve sağlık gerçekler, veriler ve öneriler. Retrieved December 10, 2022 from https://env-health.org/IMG/pdf/12._heal_briefing_air_turkey_tk.pdf
16. Worl Health Organization. (2022). Ambient (outdoor) air pollution. Retrieved December 12,2022 from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-quality-and-health).
17. World Health Organization. (2016). Air quality database: Update 2016. Data template for the WHO air quality database. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/air-pollution/who-air-quality-database/2016.
18. World Health Organization. (2021). AirQ+: software tool for health risk assessment of air pollution. Retrieved December 01,2022 from https://euro.sharefile.com/share/view/sffefe8a025794a9db91675eaf566d5e2.
19. World Health Organization. AirQ+ - example of calculations, (2018). Pierpaolo Mudu, Christian Gapp and Maria Dunbar). Retrieved December 12,2022 from https://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/371551/AirQ-Examples-of-calculations_ENG.pdf
20. World Health Organization. (2013a). Health effects of particulate matter Policy implications for countries in eastern Europe, Caucasus and central Asia. Retrieved December 12,2022 from https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/344854
21. World Health Organization. (2013b). International Agency for Research on Cancerm(IARC): Outdoor air pollution a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths. Retrieved December 12,2022 from https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/iarc-outdoor-air-pollution-a-leading-environmental-cause-of-cancer-deaths/
22. World Health Organization. (2022, December 19). Ambient (outdoor) air pollution. Retrieved December 10,2022 from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-quality-and-health
23. World Health Organization. (2023). Air quality and health. Retrieved December 10,2022 from https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/air-quality-and-health/health-impacts/types-of-pollutants