Fever SK, Kahl JDW, Kalkbrenner AE, Cerón Bretón RM, Cerón Bretón JG. A New Combined Air Quality and Heat Index in Relation to Mortality in Monterrey, Mexico.
Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022;
19:ijerph19063299. [PMID:
35328987 PMCID:
PMC8948654 DOI:
10.3390/ijerph19063299]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
The negative synergistic effects of air pollution and sensible heat on public health have been noted in numerous studies. While separate, simplified, and public-facing indices have been developed to communicate the risks of unhealthful levels of air pollution and extreme heat, a combined index containing elements of both has rarely been investigated. Utilizing air quality, meteorology, and mortality data in Monterrey, Mexico, we investigated whether the association between the air quality index (AQI) and mortality was improved by considering elements of the heat index (HI). We created combined indices featuring additive, multiplicative, and either/or formulations and evaluated their relationship to mortality. Results showed increased associations with mortality for models employing indices that combined the AQI and the HI in an additive or multiplicative manner, with increases in the interquartile relative risk of 3-5% over that resulting from models employing the AQI alone.
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