Association between ambient air pollution and mortality from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Wuhan, China: a population-based time-series study

Evidence on the short-term effects of ambient air pollution on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) mortality is still not conclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between them in Wuhan China. Daily death numbers, concentrations of air pollutants (PM(2.5), PM(10), SO(2), NO(2), and O(3)), and meteorological characteristics in Wuhan from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2019, were collected. Time-series analysis using generalized additive model was applied. The results showed that a total of 16,150 deaths (7.37 deaths per day) from COPD were observed. The daily average concentrations of PM(2.5), PM(10), SO(2), NO(2), and O(3) were 59.03, 90.48, 12.91, 48.84, and 91.77 μg/m(3), respectively. In single pollutant model, for every increase of 10 μg/m(3) in PM(10), SO(2), and NO(2) levels, COPD mortality increased by 0.583% (95% CI: 0.055–1.113%), 4.299% (95% CI: 0.978–7.729%), and 1.816% (95% CI: 0.515–3.313%) at lag03, respectively. No significant associations were found for PM(2.5) and O(3). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that females were more susceptible to PM(2.5), PM(10), SO(2), and NO(2). The concentrations of PM(10), SO(2), and NO(2) were significantly associated with COPD mortality for older adults. The effects of PM(2.5) and O(3) on COPD mortality were higher in warm period. In two-pollutant models, the significantly positive associations between SO(2) and NO(2) and COPD mortality remained after adjusting for PM(2.5) or O(3). In conclusions, short-term exposure to PM(10), SO(2), and NO(2) are significantly associated with a higher risk of COPD mortality. Female or elderly are more susceptible to air pollution. It is urgent to implement the environmental protection policy. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11356-021-13180-6.