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O'Brien, E.* ; Masselot, P.* ; Sera, F.* ; Royé, D.* ; Breitner-Busch, S. ; Ng, C.F.S.* ; de Sousa Zanotti Stagliorio Coélho, M.* ; Madureira, J.* ; Tobias, A.* ; Vicedo-Cabrera, A.M.* ; Bell, M.L.* ; Lavigne, E.* ; Kan, H.* ; Gasparrini, A.*

Short-term association between sulfur dioxide and mortality: A multicountry analysis in 399 cities.

Environ. Health Perspect. 131:37002 (2023)
Verlagsversion DOI PMC
Free by publisher
BACKGROUND: Epidemiological evidence on the health risks of sulfur dioxide (SO2) is more limited compared with other pollutants, and doubts remain on several aspects, such as the form of the exposure-response relationship, the potential role of copollutants, as well as the actual risk at low concentrations and possible temporal variation in risks. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to assess the short-term association between exposure to SO2 and daily mortality in a large multilocation data set, using advanced study designs and statistical techniques. METHODS: The analysis included 43,729,018 deaths that occurred in 399 cities within 23 countries between 1980 and 2018. A two-stage design was applied to assess the association between the daily concentration of SO2 and mortality counts, including first-stage time-series regressions and second-stage multilevel random-effect meta-analyses. Secondary analyses assessed the exposure-response shape and the lag structure using spline terms and distributed lag models, respectively, and temporal variations in risk using a longitudinal meta-regression. Bi-pollutant models were applied to examine confounding effects of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤10μm (PM10) and 2.5μm (PM2.5), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide. Associations were reported as relative risks (RRs) and fractions of excess deaths. RESULTS: The average daily concentration of SO2 across the 399 cities was 11.7 μg/m3, with 4.7% of days above the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline limit (40 μg/m3, 24-h average), although the exceedances occurred predominantly in specific locations. Exposure levels decreased considerably during the study period, from an average concentration of 19.0 μg/m3 in 1980-1989 to 6.3 μg/m3 in 2010-2018. For all locations combined, a 10-μg/m3 increase in daily SO2 was associated with an RR of mortality of 1.0045 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0019, 1.0070], with the risk being stable over time but with substantial between-country heterogeneity. Short-term exposure to SO2 was associated with an excess mortality fraction of 0.50% [95% empirical CI (eCI): 0.42%, 0.57%] in the 399 cities, although decreasing from 0.74% (0.61%, 0.85%) in 1980-1989 to 0.37% (0.27%, 0.47%) in 2010-2018. There was some evidence of nonlinearity, with a steep exposure-response relationship at low concentrations and the risk attenuating at higher levels. The relevant lag window was 0-3 d. Significant positive associations remained after controlling for other pollutants. DISCUSSION: The analysis revealed independent mortality risks associated with short-term exposure to SO2, with no evidence of a threshold. Levels below the current WHO guidelines for 24-h averages were still associated with substantial excess mortality, indicating the potential benefits of stricter air quality standards. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11112.
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Publikationstyp Artikel: Journalartikel
Dokumenttyp Wissenschaftlicher Artikel
Korrespondenzautor
Schlagwörter Particulate Air-pollution; Time-series; Metaanalysis; Exposure; Matter
ISSN (print) / ISBN 0091-6765
e-ISSN 1552-9924
Zeitschrift Environmental Health Perspectives
Quellenangaben Band: 131, Heft: 3, Seiten: , Artikelnummer: 37002 Supplement: ,
Verlag Research Triangle Park
Verlagsort NC [u.a.]
Nichtpatentliteratur Publikationen
Begutachtungsstatus Peer reviewed
Institut(e) Institute of Epidemiology II (EPI2)
Förderungen Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion/Agencia Estatal de Investigacion (MCIN/AEI)
Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnlogia
National Natural Science Foundation of China
European Union
Medical Research Council UK