Association of Health Effects of Air Pollution on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

• Main Authors: Maryam Mohammadi Rouzbahani, Mohammad Javad Mohammadi, Sahar Geravandi, Elahe Zallaghi, Aliasghr Valipour, Babak Rastegarimehr, Azimeh Karimyan, Ahmad Reza Yari
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Qom University of Medical Sciences 2017-10-01
• Series: Archives of Hygiene Sciences
• Subjects: Health Effects; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; Ozone; Sulfur Dioxide; Nitrogen Dioxide; Ahvaz; Iran.
• Online Access: http://jhygiene.muq.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-45-3&slc_lang=en&sid=1

Background & Aims of the Study: Lung is directly exposed to surrounding air and existing pollutants to perform its natural task. In this paper, COPD cases attributed to NO2, O3, and SO2 were studied based on assessed data in Ahvaz city of Iran during 2014-2015. Materials and Methods: Data were processed by Excel through steps including temperature and pressure correction, programming, processing (average) and filtering. Results: The results indicated that number of COPD cases was estimated to 15 members in accordance with the central relative risk, so, each 10µg increase in NO2 concentration would lead to 0.38% increase in COPD risk. Each 10µg/m3 increase in Ozone concentration causes 0.58% increase in disease attributed to this pollutant. Number of cumulative cases of this disease has been equal to 35 members during 2014-2015. Estimated cumulative number of obstructive pulmonary caused by sulfur dioxide has been estimated to 20 members during 2014-2015. Obviously, each 10µg/m3 increase in SO2 concentration would lead to 0.44% increase in risk of the considered disease. Conclusion: In conclusion, O3 as a pollutant has the most effect on COPD compared to the other two pollutants in Ahvaz city of Iran during 2014-2015. This might be because of more days with high concentration of this pollutant compared to other two pollutants in Ahvaz. If emission of this pollutant is not prevented, number of people who are suffering from COPD will increase to 55 members in 2016 and it will be reduced to 13 members in case of control.