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Evaluating the short-term effects of PM 2.5 and Saharan dust in Mediterranean cities. Massimo Stafoggia Rome, October 15 th 2012. OUTLINE. Background The MED-PARTICLES project Short-term effects of fine and coarse particles: methods and preliminary results
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Evaluating the short-term effects of PM2.5 and Saharan dust in Mediterranean cities Massimo Stafoggia Rome, October 15th 2012
OUTLINE • Background • The MED-PARTICLES project • Short-term effects of fine and coarse particles: methods and preliminary results • Estimation of Saharan dust advection episodes: methods and results • Key points and perspectives
BACKGROUND • The EU will deliver a new Directive on air quality standards on 2013 • Several issues still open: • Short-term effects of fine and coarse particles? • Role of natural events as Saharan dust and forest fires? • Which PM components are most responsible? • New evidence accepted until beginning of 2013
The MED-PARTICLES project (1) MED-PARTICLES - Particles size and composition in Mediterranean countries: geographical variability and short-term health effects PARTNERS • DEP (Dept. Epidemiology, Rome) • ARPAP (Piedmont EPA, Turin) • NKUA (University of Athens, Athens) • CREAL (Barcelona) • CNR-IIA (National Research Council, Rome) • ARPA-ER (Emilia Romagna EPA) • INVS (Inst. de Veille Sanitaire, Saint Maurice) • CSIC (IDÆA, Barcelona)
The MED-PARTICLES project (2) • COUNTRIES • Italy • Spain • Greece • France • (Cyprus?) • (Turkey?) DURATION 2 years, 09/2011 to 08/2013 (possibly until 12/2013) BUDGET € 1,836,016, of which € 901,579 (49.1%) EU-funded
The MED-PARTICLES project (3) OBJECTIVES • To evaluate the geographical differences in PM size (PM10, PM2.5, PM2.5-10) and composition (EC, OC, nitrates, sulphates, metals) • To evaluate the frequency of Saharan dust days and forest fires days • To compare particles sizes and composition in different areas of Med countries according to Saharan dust and to forest fires days • To evaluate the short term effects of PM10, PM2.5, PM2.5-10on daily mortality and emergency cardio-respiratory hospitalizations • To evaluate effect modification of Saharan dust and forest fires on the health effects of particles • To explore the role of PM components on short-term health effects • To educate young scientists in epidemiological and statistical analyses and to disseminate the scientific information available to different stakeholders
EFFECTS OF FINE AND COARSE PM • OBJECTIVE: to estimate the short-term association between daily concentrations of PM and daily counts of deaths/emergency hospitalizations for natural and cardio-pulmonary diseases • POPULATION and STUDY PERIOD: 10 cities (mortality), 8 cities (hospitalizations), ~ 2006-2010 • STATISTICAL METHODS • 1° stage: City-specific Poisson regression models, adjusting for time trends and meteorology • 2° stage: Random-effects meta-analysis
RESULTS: % increases per 10 mg/m3 increase in PM • Pooled effects • PM2.5: • 0.55% (0.27, 0.84) • PM2.5-10: • 0.30% (-0.10, 0.69) • PM10: • 0.31% (0.10, 0.52) Natural mortality (lag 0-1)
RESULTS: % increases per 10 mg/m3 increase in PM • Pooled effects • PM2.5: • 0.86% (0.15, 1.57) • PM2.5-10: • 0.33% (-0.78, 1.46) • PM10: • 0.57% (0.08, 1.06) Cardiovascular mortality (lag 0-5)
RESULTS: % increases per 10 mg/m3 increase in PM • Pooled effects • PM2.5: • 1.91% (0.71, 3.12) • PM2.5-10: • 0.76% (-0.70, 2.25) • PM10: • 1.24% (0.37, 2.12) Respiratory mortality (lag 0-5)
RESULTS: % increases per 10 mg/m3 increase in PM Cardiovascular hospitalizations • Pooled effects • PM2.5: 0.43% (0.04, 0.83) • PM2.5-10: 0.78% (0.22, 1.35) • PM10: 0.33% (0.00, 0.66)
RESULTS: % increases per 10 mg/m3 increase in PM Respiratory hospitalizations • Pooled effects • PM2.5: 1.25% (-0.02, 2.54) • PM2.5-10: 2.07% (-0.16, 4.35) • PM10: 0.78% (0.10, 1.46)
SAHARAN DUST ADVECTION EPISODES • OBJECTIVE: • To identify Saharan dust advection episodes across the Mediterranean • To quantify the daily concentrations of PM10 attributable to Saharan dust • To estimate the short-term effects of PM10 due to Saharan dust contribution or due to local sources • POPULATION and STUDY PERIOD: 15 Mediterranean areas ~ 2001-2010 with estimated Saharan dust data, around 15 cities for epidemiological analyses
SAHARAN DUST ADVECTION EPISODES • STATISTICAL METHODS • Satellite images, back-trajectories and operational models for Saharan dust identification • Application of the “40th percentile” methodology (Querol et al. 2009) to estimate daily contribution of Saharan dust to PM measured at rural sites • City-specific Poisson regression models, adjusting for time trends and meteorology, PLUS random-effects meta-analyses to estimate health effects of PM from Saharan dust and local sources
SAHARAN DUST ADVECTION EPISODES Mediterranean areas with estimated Saharan dust data Pej J et al. 2012 (submitted)
SAHARAN DUST ADVECTION EPISODES Mean frequency of African dust outbreaks (%) across the Mediterranean Basin during the period 2001-2011 Pej J et al. 2012 (submitted)
SAHARAN DUST ADVECTION EPISODES Mean African dust contribution (mg/m3) across the Mediterranean Basin during the period 2001-2011 Pej J et al. 2012 (submitted)
KEY POINTS • First european multi-center study to investigate short-term effects of fine and coarse particles • Strong effects of fine particles on mortality • Strong effects of fine and coarse particles on cardio-pulmonary hospitalizations • Extensive database available on Saharan dust advection episodes, which will allow to disentangle health effects of PM from natural and local sources • Still a lot to do…
PERSPECTIVES • To estimate health effects of Saharan dust • To estimate forest fires and their health effects • To measure and compare PM components in several Mediterranean cities, and estimate their health effects • To implement source-apportionment methods and estimate health effects of different PM sources • To inform policy makers and stake-holders (mid-term workshop in February 2013, Barcelona, Spain, and final conference around October 2013, Rome, Italy) • To educate young researchers (summer course around June 2012, Santorini, Greece)
MED-PARTICLES STUDY GROUP Italy: E. Alessandrini, G. Berti, L. Bisanti, E. Cadum, M. Catrambone, M. Chiusolo, P. Compagnucci, M. Davoli, F. de’ Donato, M. Demaria, M. Gandini, M. Grosa, A. Faustini, S. Ferrari, F. Forastiere, P. Pandolfi, R. Pelosini, C. Perrino, A. Pietrodangelo, L. Pizzi, V. Poluzzi, G. Priod, G. Randi, A. Ranzi, M. Rowinski, C. Scarinzi, M. Stafoggia, E. Stivanello, S. Zauli-Sajani; Greece: K. Dimakopoulou, K. Elefteriadis, K. Katsouyanni, A. Kelessis, T. Maggos, N. Michalopoulos, S. Pateraki, S. Rodopoulou, E. Samoli, V. Sypsa; Spain: J. Alguacil, B. Artiñano, J. Barrera-Gómez, X. Basagaña, J. de la Rosa, J. Diaz, B. Jacquemin, A. Karanasiou, C. Linares, B. Ostro, J. Pey, X. Querol, J. Sunyer, A. Tobias; France: M. Bidondo, C. Declercq, A. Le Tertre, P. Lozano, S. Medina, L. Pascal, M. Pascal.