Health Impact from Air Pollution among People Living in Industrialized Communities with Standard Air Quality, Chana District of Songkhla Province, Thailand, 2012

Abstract

Epidemiological studies show short-term health effects on morbidity of exposure to ambient air pollution. In Chana district, there are factories which air pollutant concentrations are below Thai standard. But there were no studies on the association of air pollution and health effects. This study aimed to evaluate the association between ambient air pollutants at concentrations below Thai standards and symptoms among Chana residents. Prospective cohort study was conducted between 18 June and 30 September 2012. The associations of daily ambient air pollution (oxide of nitrogen, NOX; sulfur dioxide, SO2; ozone, O3 and particulate matters, PM) and health effects (neurological, respiratory and dermatological) were examined in Chana citizens aged over 18years who live near the power plant and visited on their Health centers. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate association, controlling temperature, relative humidity, rain volume and barometric pressure. We found statistically significant association with NOX for respiratory symptoms during current week of air pollution exposure [coefficient = log of 0.635, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.241, 1.029]. O3 was associated with respiratory symptoms [log of 0.084, 95%CI 0.054, 0.113] after exposure for 1 week. PM2.5 was associated with neurological symptoms as dose-response relationship [log of 0.023 for current week of exposure, 95%CI 0.002, 0.043, log of 0.026 after 1 week of exposure, 95%CI 0.007, 0.044 and log of 0.028 after 2 week of exposure, 95%CI 0.007, 0.049]. No association of SO2 with all health effects. In conclusion, our results were consistent with other literatures on the health effects of air pollutants at concentrations below standards.