Identification of Regional Air Pollution Characteristic and the Correlation with Public Health in Taiwan

Cheng F. Lee, Jen H. Hsiao, Shin J. Cheng and Huey H. Hsieh
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Cheng F. Lee: Department of Environment and Resources Engineering, Diwan University, 87-1, Nanshih Li, Madou, Tainan 721, Taiwan
Jen H. Hsiao: Department of Environment and Resources Engineering, Diwan University, 87-1, Nanshih Li, Madou, Tainan 721, Taiwan
Shin J. Cheng: Department of Environment and Resources Engineering, Diwan University, 87-1, Nanshih Li, Madou, Tainan 721, Taiwan
Huey H. Hsieh: Department of Environment and Resources Engineering, Diwan University, 87-1, Nanshih Li, Madou, Tainan 721, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2007, vol. 4, issue 2, 1-5

Abstract: This study aims to classify regions with different air pollution characteristics into groups in Taiwan, and further to evaluate and compare the air quality of various groups. A selected multivariate analysis technique, cluster analysis, is applied to the pollution monitoring dataset which including PM 10 , SO 2 , NO 2 , CO and O 3 . The obtained results have proved that the regions with similar air pollution characteristic can be appropriately grouped by applying cluster analysis. All 22 regions are classified into six groups, and the pollution pattern for each group is characterized as: Group 1 (high SO 2 /NO 2 ; low PM 10 ), Group 2 (high PM 10 ), Group 3 (high SO 2 /PM 10 ), Group 4 (low SO 2 /NO 2 /CO; high O 3 ), Group 5 (low CO/NO 2 ; high O 3 ) and Group 6 (low PM 10 /SO 2 /NO 2 /O 3 /CO). Results from air quality evaluation indicate that the regions in group 6 (Ilan, Hualien and Taitung) have the best air quality while the regions in group 3 (Kaohsiung and Kaohsiung City) have the worst air quality in Taiwan. The results from correlation analysis reveal that incidence of the respiratory system disease is significantly positively correlated with pollution of NO 2 and CO at 99% confidence level.

Keywords: Air quality; air pollution characteristic; public health; cluster analysis; correlation analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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