The effect of exposure to ambient air fine particulate matter pollution on mortality among children aged under five in Taiwan

Exposure to ambient fine air particulate matter (PM_2.5) pollution may pose an adverse health hazard risk to infants and children. The under-5 mortality rate serves as an estimate of probability that a child might die between birth and age of five following exposure. This rate has been used by the United Nations as a prime indicator of exposure when setting and evaluating sustainable development goals (SDGs). These particular SDGs targets were set to avoid preventable deaths in this age group. Few investigators examined the relationship between post-birth exposure to PM_2.5 and under-5 mortality. To examine this association, the mean annual PM_2.5 levels of 65 municipal districts were measured in Taiwan from 2013 to 2022 and then divided into tertiles. The under-5 mortality rates per 1000 live births included the following parameters PM_2.5 levels, urbanization, physician density, and mean annual household income. Weighted-multiple linear regression was used to compute the adjusted risk ratios (RRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Data demonstrated that children living in districts with the highest PM_2.5 levels to be at significantly increased risk of mortality at under-5, with adjusted RR (95% CI) calculated at 1.12 (1.02-1,23) for those residing in municipalities with mean PM_2.5 between 23.7 and 27.49 ug/m³ compared to those living in districts with the lowest PM_2.5 levels. An increase a 0.7% in under-5 child mortality per each 1 ug/m³ rise in PM_2.5, suggested long-term exposure to PM_2.5 enhances the risk of mortality under-5 children in Taiwan.