A Survey of Air Quality Index and Quantification of Cardiovascular Mortality due to Exposure to Particulate Matter Smaller than 2.5 Micron in Boukan in 2015

Background: The influx of dust to the North West of Iran during past decade has become a serious threat to the health and economy of the region and has created many human and financial damages. So, the aim of this study is to quantifying cardiovascular mortality resulted from exposure to Particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micron in Bokan in 2015 using Air Q software. Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was carried out in Bokan. The measurement of PM2.5 Concentration was done using MP101M Device around the clock in 2015, which yielded data collected for 321 days. Meteorological data, including wind speed and direction, and relative humidity were obtained from office of Meteorology. The software, using data processed with Excel, calculated Relative Risk, baseline incidence and attributable proportion and showed the output in terms of mortality. Results: Based on the statistics of air pollution monitoring station, maximum hourly PM2.5 concentration was 400.52 micrograms per cubic meter and the number of total mortality attributed to exposure to PM2.5 in 2015 was 50 cases. Conclusion: The number of total mortality attributed to exposure to PM2.5 resulted from the influx of dust, necessitates immediate action to solve the dust problem, as well as dissemination of all facilities and information through public media in order to educate people about how to deal with this dangerous phenomenon

Estimation of health effects (morbidity and mortality) attributed to PM10 and PM2.5 exposure using an Air Quality model in Bukan city, from 2015-2016 exposure using air quality model

Background: Air Quality software is a useful tool for assessing the health risks associated with air pollutants. Quantifying the effects of exposure to air pollutants in terms of public health has become a critical component of policy discussion. The present study purposed to quantify the health effects of particulate matters on mortality and morbidity in a Bukan city hospital from 2015-2016. Methods: Information regarding coordinates, exposed population, number of stations used in profiling, mean and maximum concentrations (annual, winter, and summer), annual 98th percentile, baseline incidence (BI) per 100 000 per year, and relative risk was needed for use with the software. Results: The average particulate matter concentration was higher in summer than in winter. The concentrations of PM10 in summer and winter were 84.37 and 74.86 μg m-3, respectively. The Air Quality model predicted that total mortality rates related to PM10 and PM2.5 were 33.3 and 49.8 deaths, respectively. As a result, 3.79% of the total mortality was due to PM10. In Bukan city, 2.004% of total deaths were due to cardiovascular mortality. The Air Quality model predicted that the deaths of 92.2 people were related to hospital admissions for respiratory disease. Conclusion: The continual evaluation of air quality data is necessary for investigating the effect of pollutants on human health