Saskia M Willers1, Marcel F Jonker2, Lisette Klok3, Menno P Keuken4, Jennie Odink5, Sef van den Elshout6, Clive E Sabel7, Johan P Mackenbach8, Alex Burdorf9. 1. Air Quality Department, DCMR Environmental Protection Agency Rijnmond, P.O. Box 843, 3100 AV Schiedam, The Netherlands; Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: saskia.willers@dcmr.nl. 2. Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: m.jonker@erasmus.nl. 3. Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research TNO, Princetonlaan 6, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: e.j.klok@hva.nl. 4. Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research TNO, Princetonlaan 6, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: menno.keuken@tno.nl. 5. Municipal Public Health Service Rotterdam-Rijnmond, Postbus 70032, 3000 LP Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: j.odink@rotterdam.nl. 6. Air Quality Department, DCMR Environmental Protection Agency Rijnmond, P.O. Box 843, 3100 AV Schiedam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: sef.vandenelshout@dcmr.nl. 7. School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, University Rd, Bristol BS8 1SS, UK. Electronic address: c.sabel@bristol.ac.uk. 8. Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: j.mackenbach@erasmus.nl. 9. Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: a.burdorf@erasmus.nl.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Elevated temperature and air pollution have been associated with increased mortality. Exposure to heat and air pollution, as well as the density of vulnerable groups varies within cities. The objective was to investigate the extent of neighbourhood differences in mortality risk due to heat and air pollution in a city with a temperate maritime climate. METHODS: A case-crossover design was used to study associations between heat, air pollution and mortality. Different thermal indicators and air pollutants (PM10, NO2, O3) were reconstructed at high spatial resolution to improve exposure classification. Daily exposures were linked to individual mortality cases over a 15year period. RESULTS: Significant interaction between maximum air temperature (Tamax) and PM10 was observed. During "summer smog" days (Tamax>25°C and PM10>50μg/m(3)), the mortality risk at lag 2 was 7% higher compared to the reference (Tamax 15°C and PM10 15μg/m(3)). Persons above age 85 living alone were at highest risk. CONCLUSION: We found significant synergistic effects of high temperatures and air pollution on mortality. Single living elderly were the most vulnerable group. Due to spatial differences in temperature and air pollution, mortality risks varied substantially between neighbourhoods, with a difference up to 7%.
BACKGROUND: Elevated temperature and air pollution have been associated with increased mortality. Exposure to heat and air pollution, as well as the density of vulnerable groups varies within cities. The objective was to investigate the extent of neighbourhood differences in mortality risk due to heat and air pollution in a city with a temperate maritime climate. METHODS: A case-crossover design was used to study associations between heat, air pollution and mortality. Different thermal indicators and air pollutants (PM10, NO2, O3) were reconstructed at high spatial resolution to improve exposure classification. Daily exposures were linked to individual mortality cases over a 15year period. RESULTS: Significant interaction between maximum air temperature (Tamax) and PM10 was observed. During "summer smog" days (Tamax>25°C and PM10>50μg/m(3)), the mortality risk at lag 2 was 7% higher compared to the reference (Tamax 15°C and PM10 15μg/m(3)). Persons above age 85 living alone were at highest risk. CONCLUSION: We found significant synergistic effects of high temperatures and air pollution on mortality. Single living elderly were the most vulnerable group. Due to spatial differences in temperature and air pollution, mortality risks varied substantially between neighbourhoods, with a difference up to 7%.
Authors: Clive E Sabel; Rosemary Hiscock; Arja Asikainen; Jun Bi; Mike Depledge; Sef van den Elshout; Rainer Friedrich; Ganlin Huang; Fintan Hurley; Matti Jantunen; Spyros P Karakitsios; Menno Keuken; Simon Kingham; Periklis Kontoroupis; Nino Kuenzli; Miaomiao Liu; Marco Martuzzi; Katie Morton; Pierpaolo Mudu; Marjo Niittynen; Laura Perez; Denis Sarigiannis; Will Stahl-Timmins; Myriam Tobollik; Jouni Tuomisto; Saskia Willers Journal: Environ Health Date: 2016-03-08 Impact factor: 5.984