Mortality and morbidity for cardiopulmonary diseases attributed to PM2.5 exposure in the metropolis of Rome, Italy.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the health effects associated with the exposure to ground-level of particulate matters with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) on citizens in Rome (Italy) in 2015 and 2016. Based on the new version of the World Health Organization's AirQ+ model, we have estimated the short- and long-term effects of PM2.5 on hospital admissions due to cardiovascular (HA-CVD) and respiratory diseases (HA-RD) as well as on mortality for ischemic heart disease (M-IHD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (M-COPD). In this study, city-specific relative risk values and baseline incidence rates were used to calculate the association between PM2.5 and daily counts of emergency hospitalizations and mortality. The annual mean PM2.5 concentrations were 18 μg m-3 and 14 μg m-3 in 2015 and 2016, respectively. In Rome, the citizens are mostly exposed to daily mean PM2.5 concentrations of 10-20 μg m-3 during the study period. In 2015-2016, 0.4-0.6% for HA-CVD, 1.1-1.5% for HA-RD, 16.5-18.1% for M-IHD and 8.5-9.2% for M-COPD are attributed to PM2.5. In 2015-2016, 134-186 HA-CVD, 126-175 HA-RD, 947-1037 M-IHD and 244-279 M-COPD, caused by PM2.5 exposure, could be "avoided" if PM2.5 concentrations would not exceed 10 μg m-3, i.e. the threshold recommended by the World Health Organization. Thus, a consistent air quality management and sustainable city planning are needed, urgently, to mitigate the adverse effects of PM2.5 exposure in Rome.