An Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) with Different Health Outcomes Based on the Air Pollution Concentrations in Stockholm during the Period of 2015–2017

Henrik Olstrup

doi:10.3390/atmos11020192

Abstract

The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is a tool that has been developed in order to address the health effects caused by simultaneous exposure to several different air pollutants. Short-term health effects in terms of mortality or morbidity are used in order to construct an index. In this study, different indexes for different health outcomes, based on the concentrations of NO2, O3, and PM10 at an urban background measuring station in Stockholm during the period of 2015–2017, are calculated by using different risk-coefficients obtained from a meta-analysis. An AQHI based on local risk-coefficients for asthma emergency department visits (AEDV) in Stockholm is also included in the analysis. Correlation coefficients between different pairs of AQHIs, where the additive effects associated with exposure to NO2, O3, and PM10 during 2015–2017 are used, exhibit R-values as in 12 out of 15 cases exceed 0.80. However, the average risk increase for different AQHIs are very different, where indexes based on hospital admissions for asthma are larger than those based on mortality outcomes. An overall conclusion is that different AQHIs for different population groups are not needed, but the index may need to be weighted differently for different population groups.

Highlights

IntroductionThe Air Quality Index (AQI), which is commonly used in many cities as a tool to quantify the air quality, is normally based on several pollutants, but where the pollutant with the highest concentration in relation to its standard value determines the index value [1]
The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is a tool that has been developed in order to address the health effects caused by simultaneous exposure to several different air pollutants, and can thereby for preventive purposes be used as a warning system regarding the current or the forecasted air quality situation
Assuming that the AQHI is a more reliable tool in order to estimate the expected health risks associated with current or forecasted air pollution concentrations, this study indicates that there is probably no need to create different indexes for different population groups

Summary

Introduction

The Air Quality Index (AQI), which is commonly used in many cities as a tool to quantify the air quality, is normally based on several pollutants, but where the pollutant with the highest concentration in relation to its standard value determines the index value [1]. This means that the additive effects of several different air pollutants are not captured. The AQHI is based on a multi-pollutant approach, where the excess risks of different health outcomes related to exposure to a group of air pollutants are used in order to construct the index. Excess risks associated with short-term mortality from different combinations of air pollutants have been used in Canada by Stieb et al (2008) [1] and in

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