Assessment of Respiratory Health Impacts of PM2.5 by AirQ+ Software in a Sub-Saharan African Urban Setting

Abstract

Background: Ambient air pollution remains a major risk factor for population health worldwide. The impact of PM2.5 air pollution is underestimated in sub-Saharan Africa due to a lack of epidemiological studies. AirQ+ is proposed to reduce these inequalities in research. The aim of this study is to assess, by AirQ+, the impact of prolonged exposure to PM2.5 on respiratory health in Kinshasa in 2019, and to estimate the health benefits of reducing this air pollution. Methods: Population and mortality data were obtained from the Institut National de la Statistique and the Institut de Métrologie et d’Évaluation en santé, respectively. PM2.5 concentrations were measured using PurpleAir PA-II-SD sensors, and average annual concentration was 43.5 µg/m3 in 2019. AirQ+ was used to estimate the health effect attributable to PM2.5 in adults aged over 25 in Kinshasa. Results: In 2019, the proportion of deaths attributable to PM2.5 air pollution was 30.72% for ALRI, 26.55% for COPD and 24.32% for lung cancers. Each 10% reduction in current PM2.5 levels would prevent 1093 deaths (from all causes) per year in Kinshasa. Life expectancy would increase by 4.7 years (CI 3.5–5.3) if the WHO threshold of 5 mg/m3 were respected. Conclusions: The results of this study highlight the major respiratory public health problem associated with air pollution by fine particles in Kinshasa. AirQ+ was used to assess the impact of prolonged exposure to PM2.5 and respiratory deaths among adults in Kinshasa and revealed that this number of deaths could be avoided by improving air quality.