ESTIMATION OF LUNG CANCER MORTALITY ATTRIBUTED TO LONG-TERM EXPOSURE TO PM2.5 IN 15 IRANIAN CITIES DURING 2015 - 2016; AN AIRQ+ MODELING

Introduction: Long-term exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm is associated with lung cancer incidence. This study aimed to estimate the number of lung cancer deaths attributed to lung-term exposure to PM2.5 among people older than 30 years in 15 cities of Iran during 2015- 2016 using AirQ+ modelling approach. Materials and methods: Validation of monitoring stations was done according to WHO’s criteria for health impact assessment of air pollution. As AirQ+ needs, 24-h concentrations of PM2.5 during a year, total population and at-risk population, baseline incidence of lung cancer, and cut-off value of 10 μg/m3 for PM2.5 concentration were prepared and entered into the model. Results: Annual concentrations of particulate matter in all cities were 1.8 to 6.7 times higher than WHO’s guideline. The most and least cases of lung cancer deaths due to PM2.5 were estimated to be in Karaj and Birjand, respectively. Total mortality of lung cancer attributed to PM2.5 in these 15 cities were 120 cases. Conclusions: Since air pollution’s health impacts impose financial losses to countries, results of this study can be useful for decision-makers to highlight areas requiring urgent action.