LONG-TERM HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL BURDEN OF DISEASE OF CRITERIA AIR POLLUTANTS AMONG ADULTS IN MPUMALANGA HIGHVELD PRIORITY AREA, SOUTH AFRICA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17501/24246735.2025.10108Keywords:
criteria air pollutants, health risk assessment, environmental burden of disease, cardiopulmonary disease-related mortality, air quality health indexAbstract
The Mpumalanga Highveld Priority Area has been characterized by elevated concentrations of criteria air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2). These criteria air pollutants have been globally associated with cardiopulmonary disease-related mortality. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the human health risks and environmental burdens associated with inhalation exposure to PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2 among adults in the Mpumalanga Highveld priority area. Hourly concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2 from monitoring stations in the Mpumalanga Highveld from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2018, were obtained from the South African Air Quality Information System (SAAQIS) website. Daily cardiopulmonary disease-related mortality data for the same period were obtained from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). The human health risk assessment framework, from hazard identification through dose-response assessment and exposure assessment to risk characterization, was applied to assess whether adults in the Mpumalanga Highveld priority area were exposed to PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2 concentrations that may pose a non-carcinogenic health risk. The World Health Organization (WHO) guideline and relative risk were used to estimate the daily air quality health index (AQHI). Additionally, the environmental burden of disease resulting from exposure to PM2.5 concentrations was evaluated. In the Mpumalanga Highveld, particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) exceeded the annual National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) of 20 μg.m-3 and 40 μg.m-3, respectively, for seven out of ten years in the Gert Sibande district and for eight out of ten years in the Nkangala district. The health risk assessment has shown that adults exposed to particulate matter may face non-carcinogenic risks, with a hazard quotient greater than 1. Furthermore, residents in the Gert Sibande district were exposed to healthy ambient air on only 21.73% of the days, moderate ambient air on 38.61%, and unhealthy ambient air on 40.23%. From 2008 to 2009, there were 23,383 and 31,349 cardiopulmonary disease-related mortality cases in the Gert Sibande and Nkangala districts, respectively. The attributable fraction indicates that 4.29% (1,003 deaths from cardiopulmonary diseases) could have been avoided if PM2.5 had been below the annual South African National Ambient Air Quality Standard (SANAAQS) limit in the Gert Sibande district. Moreover, 20.56% (4,807 deaths from cardiopulmonary diseases) could have been avoided if PM2.5 had been below the annual WHO guideline in the same area. The paper recommends that the South African Department of Environmental Affairs should review the SANAAQS.
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