Association of PM2.5 and PM10 exposure with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases among residents near a power plant in Taiwan

Limited research has investigated the association between particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) air pollution and cardiorespiratory diseases. This study aimed to quantify the association between short-term exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 and the frequency of emergency department (ED) visits for cardiorespiratory conditions in Taiwan during the year 2016. In this work, we examined administrative areas in northern Taiwan. Emergency department visits records, from January to December 2016, were obtained from longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 (LHID:2000), provided by the National Health Insurance (NHI), which administrates all hospitals in Taiwan. We used the CMAQ model to estimate PM concentrations, and weather variables were also collected during the study period. A time-stratified case-crossover design, along with conditional logistic regression models, was employed to assess the association between short-term exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 and ED visits across several counties. A total of 688,324 ED visits records were collected. Of these, 334,325 visits by males and 353,999 by females. Exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 was associated with an increased frequency of cardiorespiratory ED visits. An interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM2.5 concentration at lags of 0, 3, and 4 days was significantly associated with an increased incidence of asthma, with odds ratios (ORs) of 1.09 (95% CI 1.02–1.17), 1.06 (95% CI 1.00–1.14), and 1.08 (95% CI 1.02–1.16), respectively. A significant association was observed between PM10 and asthma incidence at lags of 0 and 4 days, with ORs of 1.14 (95% CI 1.03–1.26) and 1.12 (95% CI 1.02–1.24). Conversely, no significant association was observed between PM exposure and the incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and ischemic heart disease (IHD). These findings underscore the short-term effects of PM2.5 and PM10 on ED visits for cardiorespiratory diseases. An increasing trend in asthma occurrence was identified across counties at different lag days, which may help guide air pollution control measures and disease prevention strategies in the region.