The impacts of reduction in ambient fine particulate air pollution on natural-cause mortality in Taiwan.

ABSTRACT

Many epidemiologic studies have reported an association between high concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and increased mortality rates. Concurrently an association between decreased concentration of these airborne PM2.5 pollutants and a decline in mortality frequency was noted in certain investigations globally; however, only a very few of these studies were conducted in Asia. Taiwan was found to exhibit a 30% decline in ambient PM2.5 levels over the last 20 years. The aim of this ecological investigation was to examine the contribution of annual reductions in ambient PM2.5 to changes in age-standardized natural-cause mortality rates (ASRs) in 65 townships in Taiwan from 2006 to 2020 controlling for lung cancer mortality rate, physician density, and annual household income. Data demonstrated a 0.9/105 fall in adjusted ASR for every 10 ug/m3 reduction in mean annual PM2.5 level in Taiwan during this 14-year period, suggesting a significant association between reductions in ambient PM2.5 levels and decreases in natural-cause mortality rates.