Assessment of urban air quality in Sanandaj city and attribution of cardiovascular- respiratory diseases, and preterm birth in 2015-16

Over the past decades, air pollution in the urban areas has shown an increasing trend. Air pollutants have resulted in different diseases. The aim of this study was to study the air quality in Sanandaj City in 2015 and 2016 and investigate its potential relationship with cardio-respiratory disorders and premature birth.
Material and This was a cross-sectional (descriptive-analytic) study, in which air pollutants data (Particulate Matter (PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen monoxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide) were collected from Department of Environmental Protection, Kurdistan Province. Data about cardio-respiratory diseases and preterm births were obtained from Tohid, Besat, and Tamin-e-Ejtemaee hospitals. Time series analysis was used to analyze the data. The results showed that the levels of all air pollutants except particulate matters of less than 10 microns were lower than the annual allowed limit. Associated risk analysis showed relationship of particulate matters with increased mortality rate due to cardiovascular diseases. However, time series analysis showed that none of the air pollutants had statistically significant associtation with the mortality rate of cardiovascular diseases and number of premature births. The results of this study showed PM10 as the only pollutants in Sanandaj air which was outside the standard limits and showed no significant relationship with mortality rate of cardio-respiratory diseases.