Constructing an AQHI as a health risk communication tool for Bangkok, Thailand
Issued Date
2024-08-01
Resource Type
eISSN
26670100
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85201682351
Journal Title
Environmental Challenges
Volume
16
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Environmental Challenges Vol.16 (2024)
Suggested Citation
Kanchanasuta S., Ingviya T., Dumavibhat N., Wongrathanandha C., Sansanayudh N., Chalongviriyalert P., Muntham D., Chusut W., Bunplod N. Constructing an AQHI as a health risk communication tool for Bangkok, Thailand. Environmental Challenges Vol.16 (2024). doi:10.1016/j.envc.2024.100991 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/100626
Title
Constructing an AQHI as a health risk communication tool for Bangkok, Thailand
Author's Affiliation
Rajamangala University of Technology Suvarnabhumi
Siriraj Hospital
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University
Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Thailand
Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University
Mahidol University
Prince of Songkla University
Research Center for Cancer Control in Southern Thailand
MHESI
Siriraj Hospital
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University
Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Thailand
Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University
Mahidol University
Prince of Songkla University
Research Center for Cancer Control in Southern Thailand
MHESI
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
In this study, we established an air quality health index (AQHI) based on the associations between multiple air pollutants and respiratory and cardiovascular outpatient department (OPD) visits to communicate the health risks from air pollution in Bangkok, Thailand. The associations between various air pollutants, namely, suspended particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than 2.5 µm and 10 µm (PM2.5 and PM10, respectively), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3) and the number of OPD visits for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in Bangkok from 2016 to 2019 were assessed using generalised additive models with a Poisson link function. Significant associations were established between most cases of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and these pollutants with a lag time of 0–7 days. The total excess risk was calculated to construct the AQHI, which was then adjusted to an arbitrary scale and banded into four groups based on the calculated score, where 1–3, 4–6, 7–10, and 10+ represented low risk, moderate risk, high risk, and very high risk, respectively. We found that the AQHI captured both high and very high risk levels during the day for most stations. The constructed AQHI also recorded a greater number of high and very high risk days than the currently used AQI but fewer than the WHO-based AQI. Our findings suggest that the AQHI can capture the combined effects of multiple air pollutants, which makes it an effective tool for communicating air pollution-related health risks.