Distribution of Particulate Matter Concentrations and Health Evaluation in the Gwangju Area

Background: Causing respiratory and circulatory diseases with long-term exposure, particulate matter is a significant environmental factor that can seriously affect human health.Although particulate matter concentrations in Gwangju have generally decreased over the past decade, it remains a public health concern.Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the correlation between particulate matter concentration and mortality due to respiratory and circulatory diseases in Gwangju by district.Methods: Data from the Gwangju Air Quality Monitoring System collected from 2013 to 2023 were used for the particulate matter concentration analysis.Mortality data from 2013 to 2022 were collected by Statistics Korea, and statistical analysis was performed using the Generalized Additive Model (GAM) in SPSS and R software.Results: Particulate matter showed higher concentrations in densely populated areas and industrial areas, as well as higher concentrations in mountainous areas on days of high concentration.According to the GAM statistical analysis, lowering the concentration of PM 10 by 10 g/m 3 reduced respiratory disease deaths by 4.1% and circulatory disease deaths by 1.9%, while lowering the concentration of PM 2.5 by 10 g/m 3 reduced respiratory disease deaths by 0.27% and circulatory disease death by 2.24%.Statistical analysis showed a significant association with age group.Conclusions: Respiratory disease deaths were highly associated with PM10, circulatory disease deaths were highly associated with PM 2.5 , and particulate matter had a greater impact on the elderly.As for particulate matter related policies, policies suitable for the elderly should be given priority