Mortality associated with particulate concentration and Asian dust storms in Metropolitan Taipei
Introduction
Particulate matter (PM) concentrations are generally higher in Southeast Asia than in Western countries (van Donkelaar et al., 2015). Elevated PM mass concentrations have been associated with human health risks in Asia (Chan et al., 2008, Chan and Ng, 2011, Chien et al., 2012, Lee et al., 2014, Watanabe et al., 2011, WHO, 2012, Yang et al., 2005a).
In addition to regional stationary and mobile sources for ambient PM, PM from natural causes (e.g., dust storms in Northeast Asia and North Africa) also pose threats to air quality and human health (de Longueville et al., 2013). Asian dust storms (ADS) transport millions of tons of dust from deserts in Mongolia and Western China to downwind areas, such as Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.
Chan et al. reported that only strong ADS with concentrations of PM10 (PM with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤10 μm) higher than 90 μg/m3 were associated with elevated death in Taipei (Chan et al., 2008). Several ADS characteristics, such as path, timing, period, strength, and composition, could alter PM concentration and related human health impact. The mechanism by which these factors influence human health has seldom been evaluated (Perrone et al., 2013).
In this study, the acute effects (single lag days of 0–4) of PM10 and PM with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5) on the mortality from all causes, circulatory diseases, and respiratory diseases in Metropolitan Taipei, Taiwan, from 2000 to 2008 were evaluated. Risks associated with ADS based on different study periods (ADS frequently inflicted period: 2000–2004; and less inflicted period: 2005–2008), inflicted seasons (winter and spring), and ADS strengths [ratio of stations with Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) > 100 that was <0.5 or ≥0.5], and ADS duration (1–3 days or ≥4 days) were evaluated.
Section snippets
Data sources
This study obtained vital statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, hourly meteorological records from the Central Weather Bureau, and hourly air pollution monitoring records from the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) for Metropolitan Taipei from 2000 to 2008. Metropolitan Taipei, located in Northern Taiwan, has approximately 6.2 million residents or 27.9% of the national population in 2000 (Fig. 1).
Death causes were coded according to the diagnoses of the 9th revision of
Characteristics of ambient environment and ADS
Table 1 lists the ambient environment characteristics by study periods from 2000 to 2008. The patterns of ambient environment during 2000–2004 and 2005–2008 were similar.
Table 2 lists the ADS summary information from 2000 to 2008. Approximately 77.8% (35/45) of ADS events occurred in 2000–2004, whereas 57.8% (26/45) occurred during spring. Additionally, 71.1% (32/45) of ADS events were sustained for 1–3 days, and the ratio of stations with PSI>100 is <0.5. Only 11 ADS events (8 ADS events in
Discussion
All-cause mortality was associated with PM10 concentration, and mortality from circulatory diseases for the elderly population was associated with PM2.5 concentration. Additionally, winter ADS events significantly elevated the mortality from all causes and circulatory diseases in Taipei, Taiwan.
The number of spring ADS events was nearly 1.5 times larger than that of winter ADS events from 2000 to 2008 (Table 2). However, only winter ADS was significantly associated with mortality elevations
Conclusions
This study determined that all-cause mortality was associated with the PM10 concentration, and mortality from circulatory diseases for the elderly population was associated with PM2.5 concentration. Additionally, winter ADS events significantly elevated the mortality from all causes and circulatory diseases in Taipei, Taiwan. The population health risk varied not only with the PM concentration but also with ADS-related characteristics.
Authors' contribution
All authors were involved in designing the study. WYC analyzed the data, drafted and finalized the manuscript. WYC and LYK have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Acknowledgment
We would like to thank the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan EPA, and Taiwan Central Weather Bureau for providing research data. The interpretation and conclusions contained herein do not necessarily represent the views of these agencies. This study was supported by grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST 103-2621-M-033-001, MOST 103-2633-M-033-002, NSC102-2621-M-033-001, and NSC 102-EPA-F-005-001) of Taiwan.
References (43)
- et al.
Increasing cardiopulmonary emergency visits by long-range transported Asian dust storms in Taiwan
Environ. Res.
(2008) - et al.
A case-crossover analysis of Asian dust storms and mortality in the downwind areas using 14-year data in Taipei
Sci. Total Environ.
(2011) - et al.
Effects of Asian dust storm events on daily mortality in Taipei, Taiwan
Environ. Res.
(2004) - et al.
Asian sand dust enhances ovalbumin-induced eosinophil recruitment in the alveoli and airway of mice
Environ. Res.
(2005) - et al.
Effect of Asian dust storms on mortality in three Asian cities
Atmos. Environ.
(2014) - et al.
Effects of Asian dust event particles on inflammation markers in peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage in pulmonary hypertensive rats
Environ. Res.
(2004) - et al.
Impact of different transport mechanisms of Asian dust and anthropogenic pollutants to Taiwan
Atmos. Environ.
(2012) - et al.
Mortality risk associated with temperature and prolonged temperature extremes in elderly populations in Taiwan
Environ. Res.
(2011) - et al.
Southeastward transport of Asian dust: source, transport and its contributions to Taiwan
Atmos. Environ.
(2009) - et al.
Particle size, chemical composition, seasons of the year and urban, rural or remote site origins as determinants of biological effects of particulate matter on pulmonary cells
Environ. Pollut.
(2013)
Correlation between Asian dust storms and worsening asthma in Western Japan
Allergol. Int.
Effects of Asian dust storm events on daily stroke admissions in Taipei, Taiwan
Environ. Res.
Spatial vulnerability under extreme events: a case of Asian dust storm's effects on children's respiratory health
Environ. Int.
Information theory and an entension of the maximum likelihood principle
The effect of sandstorms and air pollution on cause-specific hospital admissions in Taipei, Taiwan
Occup. Environ. Med.
Evidence on vulnerability and susceptibility to health risks associated with short-term exposure to particulate matter: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Am. J. Epidemiol.
Effects of concentrated ambient particles on heart rate, blood pressure, and cardiac contractility in spontaneously hypertensive rats during a dust storm event
Inhal. Toxicol.
Effects of Asian dust storm events on daily hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease in Taipei, Taiwan
J. Toxicol. Environ. Health A
Estimated effects of Asian dust storms on spatiotemporal distributions of clinic visits for respiratory diseases in Taipei children (Taiwan)
Environ. Health Perspect.
Associations of Fine particulate matter species with mortality in the United States: a multicity time-series analysis
Environ. Health Perspect.
The National Morbidity, Mortality, and Air Pollution Study Part III: PM10 Concentration–Response Curves and Thresholds for the 20 Largest US Cities
Cited by (16)
Ambient dust pollution with all-cause, cardiovascular and respiratory mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis
2024, Science of the Total EnvironmentPredicting carbonaceous aerosols and identifying their source contribution with advanced approaches
2021, ChemosphereCitation Excerpt :Needless to say, there are many main streets with constant heavy traffic, including several highways through residential areas. Thus, regional stationary and mobile sources of ambient PM pose a threat to air quality and human health (Lin et al., 2012, 2016; Wang and Lin, 2015). Previous estimates suggest that the OC and EC contributed about 25% of PM10 and PM2.5 nationwide in Taiwan (Chou et al., 2010; Hsu et al., 2017).
Desert Dust
2021, Encyclopedia of Respiratory Medicine, Second EditionImpacts of hazardous metals and PAHs in fine and coarse particles with long-range transports in Taipei City
2019, Environmental PollutionCitation Excerpt :It has been recognized that PMs in Taipei Basin is not only significantly influenced by local sources but also LRT-related sources where the atmospheric stability and vertical mixing conditions over polluted regions (such as northeast China) are favorable to the entrainment of pollutants from the surface layer. Previous studies have mainly focused on the impact of dust episodes with the mass concentration from LRT on Taipei city (Liang et al., 2013; Wang and Lin, 2015). None has elucidated the influence of PMs (fine and coarse)-related metals and PAHs and resultant excess health risks from local and LRT sources for initiating further environmental managements and control strategies.
Mortality and emergency room visits associated with ambient particulate matter constituents in metropolitan Taipei
2016, Science of the Total EnvironmentCitation Excerpt :The population density of Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, is extremely high (9951 persons/km2 in Taipei City and 1934 persons/km2 in New Taipei City), and many communities are located near highways with exposure to mobile exhausts containing large amounts of air pollutants. In addition to regional stationary and mobile sources of ambient PM, PM from natural causes (e.g., dust storms originating from Northeast Asia) also poses a threat to air quality and human health in Taipei (Lin et al., 2012; Lin et al., 2016; Wang and Lin, 2015). The present study aims to evaluate the acute effects (single lag days of 0–5) of PM10, PM2.5, and constituents of PM (e.g., organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), nitrate, and sulfate) on the mortality of the elderly population, and emergency room visits (ERV) of whole population of all ages for all causes of diseases, circulatory diseases, and respiratory diseases in metropolitan Taipei, Taiwan.
Regional prediction of carbon isotopes in soil carbonates for Asian dust source tracer
2016, Atmospheric EnvironmentCitation Excerpt :Atmospheric dust from Taklimakan Desert, Gobi Deserts, sandy lands, and associated drylands in northern China can be transported to cities in East Asia (Lee and Sohn, 2011; Li et al., 2009), while across the Pacific dust aerosols even reach North America (Uno et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2011; Zhao et al., 2015). Dust aerosols mixing with urban air pollutants are considered to be particular toxic that may increase the burden of pulmonary tuberculosis (Wang et al., 2016), cerebrovascular disease, even increase mortality in cities in East Asia (Kashima et al., 2016; Pan et al., 2015; Wang and Lin, 2015). The long-range transport of Asian dust aerosols modify cloud formation and alter precipitation efficiency in regional and global scales (Ault et al., 2011; Creamean et al., 2013; Huang et al., 2010).