Death from Respiratory Diseases and Air Pollutants in Shiraz, Iran (2006-2012)

Abstract

Air pollution has been associated with modern life. The respiratory system is the first point of contact with air pollutants. This research was carried out about the relationship between air pollution and respiratory deaths in Shiraz, Iran. In this ecological study the number of respiratory deaths sorted by gender and age and air pollutants including NO, CO, NO2, NOX, PM10, SO2, O3, CH4, THC, and NMHC were inquired from 2006 to 2011. The relationship between respiratory mortality and air pollutants were studied simultaneously and with one month delay by negative binomial regression with adjustment for confounding variables and correlation coefficients. The analysis was done through MINITAB16 and STATA11. During this time 2598 respiratory deaths occurred in Shiraz. Respiratory mortality in total, male, female, and individuals aged between 18 to 60 years was positively related to CO and for individuals over 60 were related to ozone. NO and NOX showed positive correlations in females and people under 18. NO2 had a positive correlation with 18 to 60 year old respiratory deaths in the next month. The results show that air pollution is possibly contributing to respiratory mortality in Shiraz. This evidence reinforces policies for reducing air pollution.