Effects of fine particulate matter on daily mortality for specific heart diseases in Japan

Abstract

Background: It is thought that biological responses to air pollutants affect various heart diseases, with the magnitude of the effect dependent on the specific disease. The short-term effects of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) on mortality for heart diseases were examined in 9 Japanese cities from 2002 to 2004. Methods and Results: Mortality data obtained from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan and PM2.5 data from the National Institute for Environmental Studies were used in a generalized linear model to evaluate the association between PM2.5 concentration and the mortality, adjusted for ambient temperature, relative humidity, seasonality, and day of the week. The area-specific results were combined using meta-analysis with a random-effects model. Of 67,897 deaths from heart disease, a significantly positive association was observed between heart disease mortality and PM2.5 at lag 0. In the age-stratified analyses, the effect of PM2.5 on acute myocardial infarction, and cardiac arrhythmia and conduction disorders was stronger at lag 0 for the younger population (0-64 years). The associations were not clear in mortality of the elderly. Conclusions: Positive associations between PM2.5 and heart disease mortality in Japan were observed. The effects of PM2.5 may vary by disease and age.