A novel air pollution index based on the relative risk of daily mortality associated with short-term exposure to common air pollutants

• Published in: Atmospheric environment (1994) Vol. 41; no. 38; pp. 8442 - 8454
• Main Authors: Cairncross, Eugene K., John, Juanette, Zunckel, Mark
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2007; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Air pollution/quality index; Air. Soil. Water. Waste. Feeding; Applied sciences; Atmospheric pollution; Biological and medical sciences; DAPPS; Environment. Living conditions; Exact sciences and technology; Health-risk communication; Medical sciences; Multiple pollutant exposure; Pollution; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; South Africa; South Africa; Africa; South Africa, Western Cape, Cape Town; Multiple pollutant exposure; South Africa; Health-risk communication; DAPPS; Air pollution/quality index; Ozone; Air quality; Exposure; Sulfur dioxide; Coarse particle; Health and environment; Air quality index; Fine particle; Health hazards; Aerosols; Air pollution; Carbon monoxide; Nitrogen dioxide; Public health
• ISSN: 1352-2310; 1873-2844
• DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2007.07.003

Communication of the complex relationship between air pollutant exposure and ill health is essential to an air pollution information system. We propose a novel air pollution index (API) system based on the relative risk of the well-established increased daily mortality associated with short-term exposure to common air pollutants: particulate matter (PM
10, PM
2.5), sulphur dioxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide.
To construct our index system, the total incremental daily mortality risk of exposure to these pollutants was associated with an index value ranging from 0 to 10. The index scale is linear with respect to incremental risk. The index is open ended, although, for convenience, an index of 10 is assigned for exposures yielding indices ⩾10.
To illustrate the application of this API system, a set of published relative risk factors are used to calculate sub-index values for each pollutant, in the range of air pollutant concentrations commonly experienced in urban areas. To account for the reality of ubiquitous simultaneous exposure to a mixture of the common air pollutants, the final API is the sum of the normalised values of the individual indices for PM
10, PM
2.5, sulphur dioxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. This establishes a self-consistent index system where a given index value corresponds to the same daily mortality risk associated with the combined exposure to the common air pollutants. To facilitate health-risk communication, index values are colour coded and associated with broad health-risk descriptors. The utility of the proposed API is illustrated by applying it to monitored ambient concentration data for the City of Cape Town, South Africa.