An Assessment of Annual Mortality Attributable to Ambient PM 2.5 in Bangkok, Thailand

Nathaniel R. Fold, Mary R. Allison, Berkley C. Wood, Pham T. B. Thao, Sebastien Bonnet, Savitri Garivait, Richard Kamens and Sitthipong Pengjan
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Nathaniel R. Fold: Institute for the Environment, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Mary R. Allison: Institute for the Environment, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Berkley C. Wood: Institute for the Environment, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Pham T. B. Thao: The Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment (JGSEE), King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Pracha Uthit Road, Bangmod, Thungkru, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
Sebastien Bonnet: The Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment (JGSEE), King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Pracha Uthit Road, Bangmod, Thungkru, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
Savitri Garivait: The Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment (JGSEE), King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Pracha Uthit Road, Bangmod, Thungkru, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
Richard Kamens: Institute for the Environment, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Sitthipong Pengjan: The Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment (JGSEE), King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Pracha Uthit Road, Bangmod, Thungkru, Bangkok 10140, Thailand

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-13

Abstract: Multiple studies indicate that PM 2.5 is the most deleterious air pollutant for which there are ambient air quality standards. Daily concentrations of PM 2.5 in Bangkok, Thailand, continuously exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Thai National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQSs). Bangkok has only recently begun to measure concentrations of PM 2.5. To overcome this paucity of data, daily PM 2.5 /PM 10 ratios were generated over the period 2012–2018 to interpolate missing values. Concentration-response coefficients (β values) for PM 2.5 versus non-accidental, cardiopulmonary, and lung cancer mortalities were derived from the literature. Values were also estimated and were found to be comparable to those reported in the literature for a Chinese population, but considerably lower than those reported in the literature from the United States. These findings strongly suggest that specific regional β values should be used to accurately quantify the number of premature deaths attributable to PM 2.5 in Asian populations. Health burden analysis using the Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program (BenMAP) showed that PM 2.5 concentration in Bangkok contributes to 4240 non-accidental, 1317 cardiopulmonary, and 370 lung cancer mortalities annually. Further analysis showed that the attainment of PM 2.5 levels to the NAAQSs and WHO guideline would reduce annual premature mortality in Bangkok by 33%and 75%, respectively.

Keywords: daily PM 2.5 /PM 10 ratios; concentration-response coefficients; health burden; health benefit; Bangkok (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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