| Air Pollution and Daily Mortality in Seoul and Ulsan, Korea Jong-Tae Lee, Dongchun Shin, and Yong Chung Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea Abstract
The relationship between air pollution and daily mortality for the period 1991-1995 was examined in two Korean cities, Seoul and Ulsan. The observed concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2 ; mean = 28.7 ppb) , ozone (O3 ; mean = 29.2 ppb) , and total suspended particulates (TSP ; mean = 82.3 µg/m3) during the study period were at levels below Korea's current ambient air quality standards. Daily death counts were regressed separately in the two cities, using Poisson regression on SO2, O3, and/or TSP controlling for variability in the weather and seasons. When considered singly in Poisson regression models controlling for seasonal variations and weather conditions, the nonaccidental mortality associated with a 50-ppb increment in a 3-day moving average of SO2 concentrations, including the concurrent day and the preceding 2 days, was 1.078 [95% confidence interval (CI) , 1.057-1.099] for Seoul and 1.051 (CI, 0.991-1.115) for Ulsan. The rate ratio was 1.051 (CI, 1.031-1.072) in Seoul and 0.999 (CI, 0.961-1.039) in Ulsan per 100 µg/m3 for TSP, and 1.015 (CI, 1.005-1.025) in Seoul and 1.020 (0.889-1.170) in Ulsan per 50 ppb for 1-hr maximum O3. When TSP was considered simultaneously with other pollutants, the TSP association was no longer significant. We observed independent pollution effects on daily mortality even after using various approaches to control for either weather or seasonal variables in the regression model. This study demonstrated increased mortality associated with air pollution at both SO2 and O3 levels below the current World Health Organization recommendations. Key words: air pollution, daily mortality, O3, Seoul, SO2, total suspended particulates, Ulsan. Environ Health Perspect 107:149-154 (1999) . [Online 14 January 1999] http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/1999/107p149-154lee/ abstract.html Address correspondence to J-T. Lee, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, 134 Shinchon-Dong, Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul, Korea. Received 3 June 1998 ; accepted 2 October 1998.
The full version of this article is available for free in HTML format. |
