Mortality and emergency hospitalizations associated with atmospheric particulate matter episodes across the UK in...

Exposure to particulate air pollution is known to have negative impacts on human health. Long-term exposure to anthropogenic particulate matter is associated with the equivalent of around 29,000 deaths a year in the UK. However, short-lived air pollution episodes on the order of a few days are also associated with increased daily mortality and emergency hospital admissions for respiratory and cardiovascular conditions. The UK experienced widespread high levels of particulate air pollution in March-April 2014; observations of hourly mean PM_2.5 concentrations reached up to 83μgm^-3 at urban background sites. We performed an exposure and health impact assessment of the spring air pollution, focusing on two episodes with the highest concentrations of PM_2.5 (12-14 March and 28 March-3 April 2014). Across these two episodes of elevated air pollution, totalling 10days, around 600 deaths were brought forward from short-term exposure to PM_2.5, representing 3.9% of total all-cause (excluding external) mortality during these days. Using observed levels of PM_2.5 from other years, we estimate that this is 2.0 to 2.7 times the mortality burden associated with typical urban background levels of PM_2.5 at this time of year. Our results highlight the potential public health impacts and may aid planning for health care resources when such an episode is forecast.