Abstract
The interactions among climate change, air pollution, and human health are multiple and complex. Many epidemiological studies in Taiwan have consistently demonstrated the effects of short-term exposures to extreme weather events, particulate matter, and traffic-related air pollutants on a variety of health effects. However, these findings might not explain or predict overall seasonal mortality patterns to provide insights into the drivers of mortality acting on society levels for public health policy and practice. There are very limited studies on seasonality of weather, air pollution, and mortality in Taiwan. The objectives of this study are to evaluate if there are any changes in trends and seasonality of mortality in three major Taiwanese cities from 1991 to 2010 and examine its association with climatic condition and air pollution. Among these major Taiwanese cities, seasonal mortality patterns are similar in two subtropical cities, Taipei and Taichung, compared to another tropical city, Kaohsiung. Taipei had significantly increased trends in most monthly temperature variables and the number of hot days examined during 1991–2010 compared to the other two cities. Winter/summer ratios of mortality only showed a decreased trend in Taipei, but not in Taichung or Kaohsiung. Mean monthly ambient temperature was also found as the most optimal temperature variable for predicting all-cause monthly mortality at all three cities in this study. Seasonal mortality patterns in three cities were with higher levels of deaths from December to March. Trends in air quality are showing mixed patterns over the past two decades. SO2, CO, and NOx concentrations have decreased significantly and steadily, while O3 has significantly increased in recent years. In three major Taiwanese cities, O3 and PM10 are major air pollutants of current concerns. The results of this study showed that monthly mean O3, PM10, and NOx levels and monthly mortality were not closely related, but temperature-related variables were positively associated with monthly mortality among three major Taiwanese cities. Moreover, changes in other socioeconomic and demographic factors may also play a key role in determining seasonality mortality and morbidity and need to be considered in future studies.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Chan TC, Chen ML, Lin IF, Lee CH, Chiang PH, Wang DW, Chuang JH (2009) Spatiotemporal analysis of air pollution and asthma patient visits in Taipei, Taiwan. Int J Health Geogr 8(1):1
Chang CC, Chen PS, Yang CY (2015a) Short-term effects of fine particulate air pollution on hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases: a case-crossover study in a tropical city. J Toxicol Environ Health A 78(4):267–277
Chang CC, Chiu HF, Yang CY (2015b) Fine particulate air pollution and outpatient department visits for headache in Taipei, Taiwan. J Toxicol Environ Health A 78(8):506–515
Chen SY, Lin YL, Chang WT, Lee CT, Chan CC (2014) Increasing emergency room visits for stroke by elevated levels of fine particulate constituents. Sci Total Environ 473:446–450
Cheng MH, Chiu HF, Yang CY (2015) Coarse particulate air pollution associated with increased risk of hospital admissions for respiratory diseases in a tropical city, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Int J Environ Res Public Health 12(10):13053–13068
Chiu HF, Peng CY, Wu TN, Yang CY (2013) Short-term effects of fine particulate air pollution on ischemic heart disease hospitalizations in Taipei: a case-crossover study. Aerosol Air Qual Res 13:1563–1569
Jowett I (2012) Time trends and equivalence software, version 3.31
Lankao PR (2008) Urban areas and climate change: review of current issues and trends – issues paper for the 2011 global report on human settlements, 101p. http://www.Ral.Ucar.Edu/staff/prlankao/GRHS_2011_IssuesPaperfinal.Pdf. Accessed 18 August 2016
Liang WM, Liu WP, Chou SY, Kuo HW (2008) Ambient temperature and emergency room admissions for acute coronary syndrome in Taiwan. Int J Biometeorol 52(3):223–229
Liang WM, Liu WP, Kuo HW (2009) Diurnal temperature range and emergency room admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Taiwan. Int J Biometeorol 53(1):17–23
Lin YK, Ho TJ, Wang YC (2011) Mortality risk associated with temperature and prolonged temperature extremes in elderly populations in Taiwan. Environ Res 111(8):1156–1163
Lin YK, Chang CK, Li MH, Wu YC, Wang YC (2012) High-temperature indices associated with mortality and outpatient visits: characterizing the association with elevated temperature. Sci Total Environ 427:41–49
Lin YK, Chang CK, Wang YC, Ho TJ (2013a) Acute and prolonged adverse effects of temperature on mortality from cardiovascular diseases. PloS One 8(12):e82678
Lin YK, Chang CK, Chang SC, Chen PS, Lin C, Wang YC (2013b) Temperature, nitrogen dioxide, circulating respiratory viruses and acute upper respiratory infections among children in Taipei, Taiwan: a population-based study. Environ Res 120:109–118
Romero-Lankao P, Qin H, Dickinson K (2012) Urban vulnerability to temperature-related hazards: a meta-analysis and meta-knowledge approach. Glob Environ Chang 22(3):670–683
Sen PK (1968) Estimates of the regression coefficient based on Kendall’s tau. J Am Stat Assoc 63:1379–1389
Sung TI, Wu PC, Lung SC, Lin CY, Chen MJ, Su HJ (2013) Relationship between heat index and mortality of 6 major cities in Taiwan. Sci Total Environ 442:275–281
Tsai S, Yang CY (2014) Fine particulate air pollution and hospital admissions for pneumonia in a subtropical city: Taipei, Taiwan. J Toxicol Environ Health A 77(4):192–201
Tsai SS, Huang CH, Goggins W, Wu TN, Yang CY (2003) Relationship between air pollution and daily mortality in a tropical city: Kaohsiung, Taiwan. J Toxicol Environ Health A 66(17):1341–1349
Tsai DH, Wang JL, Chuang KJ, Chan CC (2010) Traffic-related air pollution and cardiovascular mortality in central Taiwan. Sci Total Environ 408(8):1818–1823
Tsai SS, Chang CC, Liou SH, Yang CY (2014a) The effects of fine particulate air pollution on daily mortality: a case-crossover study in a subtropical city, Taipei, Taiwan. Int J Environ Res Public Health 11(5):5081–5093
Tsai SS, Chiu HF, Liou SH, Yang CY (2014b) Short-term effects of fine particulate air pollution on hospital admissions for respiratory diseases: a case-crossover study in a tropical city. J Toxicol Environ Health A 77(18):1091–1101
Tsai SS, Weng YH, Chiu YW, Yang CY (2015) Short-term effect of coarse particles on daily mortality rate in a tropical city, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. J Toxicol Environ Health A 78(23–24):1409–1420
Tseng E, Ho WC, Lin MH, Cheng TJ, Chen PC, Lin HH (2015) Chronic exposure to particulate matter and risk of cardiovascular mortality: cohort study from Taiwan. BMC Public Health 15(1):1
United Nations (2014) World urbanization prospects: the 2014 revision, highlights, department of economic and social affairs, population division, New York, (ST/ESA/SER.A/352)
Wang YC, Lin YK (2014) Association between temperature and emergency room visits for cardiorespiratory diseases, metabolic syndrome-related diseases, and accidents in metropolitan Taipei. PloS One 9(6):e99599
Wang YC, Lin YK (2015) Mortality associated with particulate concentration and Asian dust storms in Metropolitan Taipei. Atmos Environ 117:32–40
Wang YC, Lin YK, Chuang CY, Li MH, Chou CH, Liao CH, Sung FC (2012) Associating emergency room visits with first and prolonged extreme temperature event in Taiwan: a population-based cohort study. Sci Total Environ 416:97–104
Yang CY (2008) Air pollution and hospital admissions for congestive heart failure in a subtropical city: Taipei, Taiwan. J Toxicol Environ Health A 71(16):1085–1090
Yang CY, Chang CC, Chuang HY, Tsai SS, Wu TN, Ho CK (2004) Relationship between air pollution and daily mortality in a subtropical city: Taipei, Taiwan. Environ Int 30:519–523
Yu HL, Chien LC (2016) Short-term population-based non-linear concentration–response associations between fine particulate matter and respiratory diseases in Taipei (Taiwan): a spatiotemporal analysis. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 26(2):197–206
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Li, MH. (2018). Trends and Seasonal Variations of Climate, Air Quality, and Mortality in Three Major Cities in Taiwan. In: Akhtar, R., Palagiano, C. (eds) Climate Change and Air Pollution. Springer Climate. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61346-8_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61346-8_13
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-61345-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-61346-8
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)