Sulfur dioxide pollutant and its effects on disease incidence and death among the citizens of Bushehr city

Abstract

Background: Sulfur dioxide is one of the important pollutants that at the present time cause irreparable damage to environment and human health. The aim of present study was to study and comparison the effects of SO2 on respiratory and cardiovascular deaths in Bushehr city. Materials and Methods: This analytical study was conducted in Bushehr city during 2011. In the first stage data were collected from Bushehr department of the environment. The concentration of SO2 was measured by using BUBK portable device. After processing data by EXCEL software, data were converted as input file to the model and health effects of SO2 pollutant were measured by using statistical analysis and the World Health Organization model (Air Q model). Results: The results showed that concentration of SO2 pollutant with an annual average was 44 µg/m3 in Bushehr city. In the study area, increasing the concentration of sulfur dioxide per 10 µg/m3 than before values increased risk of cardiovascular death (0.8%) and respiratory deaths (1%). Conclusion: The local comparison results showed that the number of respiratory and cardiac cases death which is attributable to the sulfur dioxide pollutant has been low in Bushehr city health endpoint can result due to continued and this situation could be justified by the low concentration of sulfur dioxide in the air of Bushehr city.

Keywords

• Sulfur dioxide
• cardiovascular death
• respiratory death
• Bushehr