The study of correlation between air pollution and respiratory diseases and mortality

Abstract

Background: A number of studies have shown that air pollution is still a major public health problem. The annual average concentration of air pollutants in Ulaanbaatar city is higher than the tolerance limit specified in the MNS 4585:2007 standard, which has a negative effect on many organ systems of the body. In Ulaanbaatar city, since 2018, children between the ages of 0-2 were vaccinated against smallpox in order to reduce children’s smallpox, but the incidents of smallpox does not decrease, which is related to air pollution and other factors. For instance, in 2018 respiratory system diseases in Mongolia increased from 2.4 per 10000 population to 2.9 in 2021. Therefore, it is reasonable to study the relationship between external air pollution and some respiratory diseases. Aim: The purpose of this study is to determine the correlation between air pollutants and mortality from causes of asthma, influenza-like illness, and respiratory diseases. Materials and Methods: Using 2014-2022 data on influenza-like illness (J11), asthma (J45), mortality (A15-A19) from the daily data of outpatients of community hospitals in Ulaanbaatar, outdoor air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, PM1, CO, NO2 SO2) and weather data were used to determine the climate environment. A comparison was made using the timeseries analysis method based on the data of the Department of Meteorological and Environmental Analysis (DMEA) and 18 stationary guards. Statistical analyses was carried out using the SPSS-25 program and calculating the combined effects of climate and air pollution using the Quasi-Poisson regression general linear modeling method. Results: 1. Exposure to major air pollutants increases the incidence of respiratory diseases such as influenza, influenza-like illness, and asthma, but there is no difference by age or sex. 2. The risk of death due to respiratory diseases rises with an increase of 10 units of the main air pollutants. Conclusion: Exposure to major air pollutants increased the incidence of respiratory diseases such as influenza, influenza-like illness, and asthma, and a 10 unit increase in major air pollutants increased the risk of death from respiratory diseases.