ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Associations between daily mortalities from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and air pollution in Hong Kong, China

T W Wong, W S Tam, T S Yu and A H S Wong

Department of Community and Family Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4/F School of Public Health, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, N T, Hong Kong

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Professor T W Wong, Department of Community and Family Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4/F School of Public Health, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, N T, Hong Kong;
twwong{at}cuhk.edu.hk

Objective: To investigate the association between ambient concentrations of air pollutants and respiratory and cardiovascular mortalities in Hong Kong.

Methods: Retrospective ecological study. A Poisson regression of concentrations of daily air pollutants on daily mortalities for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in Hong Kong from 1995 to the end of 1998 was performed using the air pollution and health: the European approach (APHEA) protocol. The effects of time trend, seasonal variations, temperature, and humidity were adjusted. Autocorrelation and overdispersion were corrected. Daily concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), ozone (O₃), and particulate matter <10 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM₁₀) were averaged from eight monitoring stations in Hong Kong. Relative risks (RRs) of respiratory and cardiovascular mortalities (per 10 µg/m³ increase in air pollutant concentration) were calculated.

Results: Significant associations were found between mortalities for all respiratory diseases and ischaemic heart diseases (IHD) and the concentrations of all pollutants when analysed singly. The RRs for all respiratory mortalities (for a 10 µg/m³ increase in the concentration of a pollutant) ranged from 1.008 (for PM₁₀) to 1.015 (for SO₂) and were higher for chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) with all pollutants except SO₂, ranging from 1.017 (for PM₁₀) to 1.034 (for O₃). RRs for IHD ranged from 1.009 (for O₃) to 1.028 (for SO₂). In a multipollutant model, O₃ and SO₂ were significantly associated with all respiratory mortalities, whereas NO₂ was associated with mortality from IHD. No interactions were detected between any of the pollutants or with the winter season. A dose-response effect was evident for all air pollutants. Harvesting was not found in the short term.

Conclusions: Mortality risks were detected at current ambient concentrations of air pollutants. The associations with the particulates and some gaseous pollutants when analysed singly were consistent with many reported in temperate countries. PM₁₀ was not associated with respiratory or cardiovascular mortalities in multipollutant analyses.

Keywords: air pollution; respiratory mortality; cardiovascular mortality

Abbreviations: APHEA, air pollution and health; the European approach; PM₁₀, particulate matter <10 µm in aerodynamic diameter; IHD, ischaemic heart diseases; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases

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