A Preliminary Study on the Current Status and Health Effects of PM_2.5 for Evaluating the Act on Air Quality Management Regions in Jeollabuk-do Province

Background:In order to evaluate the national effort to improve air quality through the Act on Air Quality Management Regions, an investigation of the current status of air quality in respective regions and the health impact of air pollution should be undertaken. Objectives:This study is a preliminary study on the status of PM 2.5 in the central region of South Korea and its health effects.It can be applied to the evaluation of the effectiveness of the Act on Air Quality Management Regions.Methods: Time series variation of PM 2.5 concentrations in the air quality management region (hereafter referred to as AQMR) and in the non-AQMR area in the central region of South Korea were created.Odds ratios (OR) were calculated based on the survey results of whether the residents of Jeollabuk-do were feeling anxiety caused by air pollution by sex, region, and regional characteristics.Relative risk (RR) values of lung cancer deaths in each city in the AQMR for the central region of South Korea were calculated.Results: During the period from Dec. 2018 to Dec. 2021, the average concentration of PM 2.5 was higher in the AQMR at 26.0 g/m 3 compared to 19.5 g/m 3 in the non-AQMR.The odds ratio (OR) calculated using data from the Jeonbuk Research Institute (2020) suggested that women were more uncomfortable or anxious about their lives due to air pollutants than were men.The OR evaluation results also showed that in terms of PM 2.5 sensitivity, residents in the non-AQMR were relatively more sensitive than those in the AQMR.The relative risk (RR) was calculated to evaluate the relationship between health hazards (PM 2.5 ) and diseases (lung cancer).As a result, for super-aged people over 80 years old, compared to the non-AQMR (Muju-gun and Jangsu-gun), the residents in the AQMR (Jeonju, Gunsan, and Iksan) have about twice the relative risk of lung cancer. Conclusions:It is necessary to make efforts to improve residents' health and extend their healthy lives through efforts to reduce air pollutants such as PM 2.5 in areas specially selected as an AQMR.