TY - JOUR
T1 - Can the Air Pollution Index be used to communicate the health risks of air pollution?
AU - Li, Li
AU - Lin, Guo-Zhen
AU - Liu, Hua-Zhang
AU - Guo, Yuming
AU - Ou, Chun-Quan
AU - Chen, Ping-Yan
PY - 2015/10
Y1 - 2015/10
N2 - Abstract The validity of using the Air Pollution Index (API) to assess health impacts of air pollution and potential modification by individual characteristics on air pollution effects remain uncertain. We applied distributed lag non-linear models (DLNMs) to assess associations of daily API, specific pollution indices for PM10, SO2, NO2 and the weighted combined API (APIw) with mortality during 2003-2011 in Guangzhou, China. An increase of 10 in API was associated with a 0.88% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50, 1.27%) increase of non-accidental mortality at lag 0-2 days. Harvesting effects appeared after 2 days' exposure. The effect estimate of API over lag 0-15 days was statistically significant and similar with those of pollutant-specific indices and APIw. Stronger associations between API and mortality were observed in the elderly, females and residents with low educational attainment. In conclusion, the API can be used to communicate health risks of air pollution.
AB - Abstract The validity of using the Air Pollution Index (API) to assess health impacts of air pollution and potential modification by individual characteristics on air pollution effects remain uncertain. We applied distributed lag non-linear models (DLNMs) to assess associations of daily API, specific pollution indices for PM10, SO2, NO2 and the weighted combined API (APIw) with mortality during 2003-2011 in Guangzhou, China. An increase of 10 in API was associated with a 0.88% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50, 1.27%) increase of non-accidental mortality at lag 0-2 days. Harvesting effects appeared after 2 days' exposure. The effect estimate of API over lag 0-15 days was statistically significant and similar with those of pollutant-specific indices and APIw. Stronger associations between API and mortality were observed in the elderly, females and residents with low educational attainment. In conclusion, the API can be used to communicate health risks of air pollution.
KW - Air Pollution Index
KW - Harvesting (mortality displacement)
KW - Risk communication
KW - Vulnerable populations
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84930933439&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.05.038
DO - 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.05.038
M3 - Article
C2 - 26057478
AN - SCOPUS:84930933439
SN - 0269-7491
VL - 205
SP - 153
EP - 160
JO - Environmental Pollution
JF - Environmental Pollution
ER -
