Modeling of the PM10 pollutant health effects in a semi-arid area: a case study in Zabol, Iran

• Published in: Modeling earth systems and environment 2021-03, Vol.7 (1), p.455-463
• Main Authors: Javan, Safoura, Rahdar, Somayeh, Miri, Mohamad, Djahed, Babak, Kazemian, Hossein, Fakhri, Yadolah, Eslami, Hadi, Fallahzadeh, Reza Ali, Gholizadeh, Abdolmajid, Taghavi, Mahmoud
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air quality; Air quality standards; Arid regions; Atmospheric particulates; Cardiovascular diseases; Chemistry and Earth Sciences; Computer Science; Dust storms; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Earth System Sciences; Ecosystems; Environment; Math. Appl. in Environmental Science; Mathematical Applications in the Physical Sciences; Mortality; Original Article; Particulate emissions; Particulate matter; Patient admissions; Physics; Pollutants; Respiratory diseases; Respiratory disorders; Semi arid areas; Statistics for Engineering; Storms; Suspended particulate matter; Total mortality
• ISSN: 2363-6203; 2363-6211
• DOI: 10.1007/s40808-020-00874-y

This study investigated the short-term effects of exposure particulate matter (PM 10 ) in Zabol, Iran, from 2013 to 2015. The concentrations of PM 10 recorded from 2013 to 2015 were given as the input to the software (AirQ 2.2.3) developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to estimate the attributed proportion of the health effects and the number of excess cases related to total mortality (TM), cardiovascular mortality (CM), respiratory mortality (RM), hospital admissions due to cardiovascular disease (HACD), and hospital admissions due to respiratory disease (HARD). According to the data, 73 days during 2013–2014 and 144 days during 2014–2015 in Zabol exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) guideline limits. This finding indicates the impact of the windy period on the ambient air condition of Zabol’s airshed. Moreover, the number of excess cases attributed to TM, CM, RM, HACD, and HARD per 100,000 people was estimated as 182, 96, 18, 94, and 243 individuals during 2013–2014. However, these values increased by about 50% during 2014–2015. This significant level of health effects of PM 10 on the residents of Zabol necessitates urgent controlling/management actions to reduce dust storms in this region. Graphic abstract