Short and long-term impacts of ambient ozone on health in Ahvaz, Iran

Patrick Amoatey, Afshin Takdastan, Pierre Sicard, Philip K. Hopke, Mahad Baawain, Hamid Omidvarborna, Somayeh Allahyari, Arezou Esmaeilzadeh, Alessandra De Marco, Yusef Omidi Khanaibadi*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The objective of the study was to investigate short- and long-term mortality due to exposure of the inhabitants of Ahvaz (Iran) to ground-level ozone (O3). The study employed the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe’s (WHO/Europe) AirQ + modeling system to estimate total mortality (TM), cardiovascular mortality (CM), and respiratory mortality (RM) using relative risks (RR) and baseline incidences (BI). The AirQ + model estimates that 2.08% (95% CI: 1.39 - 2.76) of TM, 2.78% of CM (95% CI: 0 - 4.13), and 5.48% of RM (95% CI: 2.76 - 8.14) in 2015 are attributed to surface O3 concentration exceeding 10 µg m−3. Due to lower surface O3 concentrations in 2016 (35.2 µg/m3), compared to 2015 (79.2 µg/m3), the attributable proportions of health endpoints to O3 exposure were significantly lower, i.e.,.72% for TM,.96% for CM and 1.92% for RM. The long-term excess risks for RM were 1.53% (95% CI:.77 - 2.28) and.14% (95% CI:.07 -.2) in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The estimated health effects from O3 exposures in Ahvaz were low compared to other studies in Iran and across the world. Introduction of electric and hybrid cars with good urban planning could further reduce the health impacts of O3 exposure in Ahvaz.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1336-1351
Number of pages16
JournalHuman and Ecological Risk Assessment
Volume25
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 4 2019

Keywords

  • Ahvaz
  • AirQ+
  • Health impact
  • O
  • SOMO35
  • mortality

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecological Modelling
  • Pollution
  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

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