Association between ambient air pollution and daily non-accidental mortality: evidence from the coastal city of Shantou, China
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background Current epidemiological evidence on the association between air pollutants and non-accidental mortality remains limited, particularly in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the short-term association between ambient air pollution and non-accidental mortality, and to quantify the attributable disease burden in Shantou, a subtropical coastal city in China. Methods Daily data on non-accidental mortality, meteorological factors, and ambient air pollutants including PM 2.5 , PM 10 , SO 2 , NO 2 , CO, and O 3 were collected in Shantou from 2016 to 2020. A Poisson generalized additive model (GAM) was applied to estimate the acute effects of air pollutants on non-accidental mortality, with stratification analyses by gender, age, and season. Attributable fractions (AFs) and attributable numbers (ANs) were further estimated based on the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines and Chinese air quality standards. Results Non-accidental mortality in Shantou was significantly associated with exposure to PM 2.5 , PM 10 , SO 2 , NO 2 and O 3 , but not with CO. Per 10 μg/m 3 increase in air pollutant concentration, the strongest relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for non-accidental mortality were 1.0199 (1.0106–1.0294) for PM 2.5 at lag03 days, 1.0146 (1.0085–1.0209) for PM 10 at lag 03 days, 1.1268 (1.0773–1.1786) for SO 2 at lag 07 days, 1.0256 (1.0093–1.0422) for NO 2 at lag 03 days, and 1.0048 (1.0013–1.0083) for O₃ at lag 04 days, respectively. Stratified analyses showed that individuals aged 65 years and older were more susceptible only to O₃. The significant adverse effect of O₃ was significantly stronger in the warm season than in the cold season, while no significant difference was found between males and females. Overall, 4.23% (5,576 cases) of non-accidental deaths were attributable to excess exposure to air pollution exceeding the WHO air quality guidelines. Conclusion Short-term exposure to PM 2.5 , PM 10 , SO 2 , NO 2 and O 3 was significantly associated with elevated non-accidental mortality in Shantou, a coastal subtropical city, imposing a considerable disease burden. Our findings highlight the urgent need for effective air pollution control strategies to reduce the related disease burden.
Source: Frontiers in Public Health
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
OpenAlex ID: W7165170331