Increased Risk of Respiratory Mortality Associated with the High-Tech Manufacturing Industry: A 26-Year Study

Ro-Ting Lin, David C. Christiani, Ichiro Kawachi, Ta-Chien Chan, Po-Huang Chiang and Chang-Chuan Chan
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Ro-Ting Lin: Takemi Program in International Health, Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
David C. Christiani: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Ichiro Kawachi: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Ta-Chien Chan: Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
Po-Huang Chiang: Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli County 35053, Taiwan
Chang-Chuan Chan: Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10055, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2016, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: Global high-tech manufacturers are mainly located in newly industrialized countries, raising concerns about adverse health consequences from industrial pollution for people living nearby. We investigated the ecological association between respiratory mortality and the development of Taiwan’s high-tech manufacturing, taking into account industrialization and socioeconomic development, for 19 cities and counties—6 in the science park group and 13 in the control group—from 1982 to 2007. We applied a linear mixed-effects model to analyze how science park development over time is associated with age-adjusted and sex-specific mortality rates for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Asthma and female COPD mortality rates decreased in both groups, but they decreased 9%–16% slower in the science park group. Male COPD mortality rates increased in both groups, but the rate increased 10% faster in the science park group. Science park development over time was a significant predictor of death from asthma ( p ? 0.0001) and COPD ( p = 0.0212). The long-term development of clustered high-tech manufacturing may negatively affect nearby populations, constraining health advantages that were anticipated, given overall progress in living standards, knowledge, and health services. National governments should incorporate the long-term health effects on local populations into environmental impact assessments.

Keywords: environment and public health; economic development; industrial development; socioeconomic factors; asthma; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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