InterCriteria Analysis Applied on Air Pollution Influence on Morbidity

Abstract

Human health is reflected in all spheres of life and the economy. One of the main causes of morbidity and early mortality is polluted air. Ambient air pollution is a serious source of disease and mortality across the world. Cities are notorious for their high levels of air pollution and sickness. However, the precise degree of the health impacts of air pollution at the municipal level are still largely unclear. One of the main reasons for increased morbidity is the presence of particulate matter. The aim of our study is to show the relationship between elevated levels of particulate matter in the air and certain diseases. In this paper, we apply InterCriteria Analysis (ICrA) to find the correlation between the level of air pollution and the number of people seeking medical help. This is a new approach for the problem. The results show the affect of air pollution on certain diseases with a short exposure on polluted air and when the exposure is prolonged. We observed that some diseases are exacerbated by brief exposure to polluted air, while in others, exacerbation occurs after prolonged exposure.

Keywords

• InterCriteria analysis
• air polution
• particulate matter