Assessment of the damage for the health of the population from the short-term exposure to the high ozone concentrations

Abstract

Objective: We peformed a hygienic assessment of the level of ambient air pollution with ozone in Kyiv and a quantitative assessment of its short-term impact on the health of the population. Materials and methods: Measurement of ozone concentrations in the ambient air of Kyiv was carried out using a gas analyzer APOA 370 HORIBA in the daytime (from 10:00 to 18:00)from June to August (2017-2019)for 3 years. Obtained data were compared with the maximum permissible concentration according to the order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine No. 52, 01/14/2020 (MPC.m. - 0.16 mg / m3) and international criteria established by the Directive 2008/50 / EC (8-hour concentration - 0.12 mg / m3) and the WHO (8-hour concentration - 0.10 mg / m3).To quantify the impact of the short-term effects of ozone concentrations on public health in 2017-2018 we used the international software package AirQ +. Results: Analysis of the data led to the conclusion that the levels of ozone air pollution in Kyiv exceeded the limit values recommended by the hygienic standards of Ukraine, as well as the Directive 2008/50 / EC and the WHO. Average ozone concentrations were determined at the level of 0.20 ± 0.03 mg / m3 in 2017; 0.19 ± 0.04 mg / m3 in 2018; 0.18 ± 0.05 mg / m3 in 2019. The maximum excess was observed in June at the level of 1.4 MPCm.s. 8-hour ozone concentrations exceeded the international limit values established by the Directive 2008/50 / EC and the WHO in 97.0 and 98.0% of cases, respectively (maximum 2.7 times).For 2017 (2018), the number of the additional deaths per 100 thousand of the population made up 65.39 (62.65) cases of the diseases of circulatory system; 59.21 (56.87) - total mortality; 1.30 (1.38) - respiratory diseases. Conclusion: Performed studies prove the need of mandatory implementation into the observation monitoring system for ozone in the surface layer of ambient air to assess the extent of human losses and to inform about possible threats to public health.