Global health impacts of ambient fine particulate pollution associated with climate variability

S H L Yim; Y Li; T Huang; J T Lim; H F Lee; S H Chotirmall; G H Dong; J Abisheganaden; J A Wedzicha; S C Schuster; B P Horton; J J Y Sung

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2024.108587

Global health impacts of ambient fine particulate pollution associated with climate variability

Environ Int. 2024 Apr:186:108587. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108587. Epub 2024 Mar 26.

Authors

S H L Yim¹, Y Li², T Huang³, J T Lim⁴, H F Lee², S H Chotirmall⁵, G H Dong⁶, J Abisheganaden⁵, J A Wedzicha⁷, S C Schuster⁸, B P Horton⁹, J J Y Sung⁴

Affiliations

¹ Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore; Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore. Electronic address: yimsteve@gmail.com.
² Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Sha Tin 999077, Hong Kong, China.
³ Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore.
⁴ Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
⁵ Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore.
⁶ Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
⁷ Airways Disease Section, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.
⁸ Singapore Centre For Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.
⁹ Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore; Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore.

PMID: 38579450
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108587

Abstract

Air pollution is a key global environmental problem raising human health concern. It is essential to comprehensively assess the long-term characteristics of air pollution and the resultant health impacts. We first assessed the global trends of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) during 1980-2020 using a monthly global PM_2.5 reanalysis dataset, and evaluated their association with three types of climate variability including El Niño-Southern Oscillation, Indian Ocean Dipole and North Atlantic Oscillation. We then estimated PM_2.5-attributable premature deaths using integrated exposure-response functions. Results show a significant increasing trend of ambient PM_2.5 during 1980-2020 due to increases in anthropogenic emissions. Ambient PM_2.5 caused a total of ∼ 135 million premature deaths globally during the four decades. Occurrence of air pollution episodes was strongly associated with climate variability, which were associated with up to 14 % increase in annual global PM_2.5-attributable premature deaths.

Keywords: Air pollution; Climate variability; Health impacts; Particulate matter.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution* / statistics & numerical data
Climate
Climate Change
Environmental Exposure / statistics & numerical data
Global Health*
Humans
Mortality, Premature
Particulate Matter* / analysis

Substances

Particulate Matter
Air Pollutants