Health Impacts from Ambient Particle Exposure in Southern Sweden

A health impact assessment (HIA) is an important tool for making informed decisions regarding the design and evaluation of environmental interventions. In this study, we performed a quantitative HIA for the population of Scania (1,247,993), the southernmost county in Sweden, in 2016. The impact of annual mean concentrations of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 µm (PM(2.5)), modeled at their home residences for the year 2011, on mortality, asthma, dementia, autism spectrum disorders, preeclampsia and low birth weight (LBW) was explored. Concentration–response (C-R) functions were taken from epidemiological studies reporting meta-analyses when available, and otherwise from single epidemiological studies. The average level of PM(2.5) experienced by the study population was 11.88 µg/m(3). The PM(2.5) exposure was estimated to cause 9–11% of cases of LBW and 6% of deaths from natural causes. Locally produced PM(2.5) alone contributed to 2–9% of the cases of diseases and disorders investigated. Reducing concentrations to a maximum of 10 µg/m(3) would, according to our estimations, reduce mortality by 3% and reduce cases of LBW by 2%. Further analyses of separate emission sources’ distinct effects were also presented. Reduction of air pollution levels in the study area would, as expected, have a substantial effect on both mortality and adverse health outcomes. Reductions should be aimed for by local authorities and on national and even international levels.