Abstract
As the health impacts of climate change take on a more serious form, this study for the first time investigates the effect of meteorological factors on the risk of death from respiratory diseases (RD) in Wuhu, a representative city along the Yangtze River in subtropical humid region. Daily meteorological element data and RD deaths in Wuhu City were collected from 2014 to 2020. Time series analysis was conducted using distributed lagged nonlinear model (DLNM) combined with generalized additive model (GAM), and stratified by age and gender. In 7 years, a total of 8016 RD death cases were collected in Wuhu, China. The results demonstrated that the maximum impacts of short-term exposure to exceedingly low temperatures mean (Tmean) were at lag 9, with the maximum relative risk (RR) of 1.044 (lag 1, 95% CI: 1.001, 1.098). The risk of exceedingly high Tmean reached its maximum at lag 0 (RR = 1.070, 95% CI: 1.018, 1.125). Low relative humidity (RH) was negatively associated with the risk of RD death, with the lowest RR values occurring at lag 12 (RR = 0.987, 95% CI: 0.975, 0.999). No significant correlation was found for diurnal temperature range (DTR). Stratified analysis showed that Tmean exposure remained statistically significant for male, female and elderly, while RH and DTR only seemed to increase the mortality risk in the young. In a word, short-term exposure to extreme temperatures may increase the RD mortality risk in the population, and young people needed to be aware that exposure to exceedingly high RH and DTR also increased the risk.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are attached.
References
Adams GJ, Goldstein EK, Goldstein BG, Jarman KL, Goldstein AO (2021) Attitudes and behaviors that impact skin cancer risk among men. Int J Environ Res Public Health 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18199989
Bobo FT, Thanasekaran P, Joice A, Yadecha B, Alebel A (2018) Susceptibility to cigarette smoking and associated factors among high school students in western Ethiopia. BMC Res Notes 11:626. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-018-3734-6
Brillinger J, Marsh L, Hoek J (2021) Bar Atmospherics and smoking: a qualitative analysis of New Zealand young adult smokers. Nicotine Tob Res 23:724–731. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntaa227
Bunker A, Wildenhain J, Vandenbergh A, Henschke N, Rocklov J, Hajat S, Sauerborn R (2016) Effects of air temperature on climate-sensitive mortality and morbidity outcomes in the elderly; a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological evidence. EBioMedicine 6:258–268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2016.02.034
Chai G, He H, Sha Y, Zhai G, Zong S (2019) Effect of PM2.5 on daily outpatient visits for respiratory diseases in Lanzhou China. Sci Total Environ 649:1563–1572. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.384
Chai G, He H, Su Y, Sha Y, Zong S (2020) Lag effect of air temperature on the incidence of respiratory diseases in Lanzhou, China. Int J Biometeorol 64:83–93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-019-01795-x
Choi G, Lee DE (2020) Changing human-sensible temperature in Korea under a warmer monsoon climate over the last 100 years. Int J Biometeorol 64:729–738. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-020-01862-8
Chong KC, Lee TC, Bialasiewicz S, Chen J, Smith DW, Choy W, Krajden M, Jalal H, Jennings L, Alexander B, Lee HK, Fraaij P, Levy A, Yeung A, Tozer S, Lau S, Jia KM, Tang J, Hui D, Chan P (2020) Association between meteorological variations and activities of influenza A and B across different climate zones: a multi-region modelling analysis across the globe. J Infect 80:84–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2019.09.013
D’Amato G, Pawankar R, Vitale C, Lanza M, Molino A, Stanziola A, Sanduzzi A, Vatrella A, D’Amato M (2016) Climate change and air pollution: effects on respiratory allergy. Allergy Asthma Immunol Res 8:391–395. https://doi.org/10.4168/aair.2016.8.5.391
Demain JG (2018) Climate change and the impact on respiratory and allergic disease: 2018. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 18:22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-018-0777-7
Ding Z, Guo P, Xie F, Chu H, Li K, Pu J, Pang S, Dong H, Liu Y, Pi F, Zhang Q (2015) Impact of diurnal temperature range on mortality in a high plateau area in southwest China: a time series analysis. Sci Total Environ 526:358–365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.05.012
Driessen JM, van der Palen J, van Aalderen WM, de Jongh FH, Thio BJ (2012) Inspiratory airflow limitation after exercise challenge in cold air in asthmatic children. Respir Med 106:1362–1368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmed.2012.06.017
Gao Y, Chen L, Zhang W, Li X, Xu Q (2021) Spatiotemporal variations in characteristic discharge in the Yangtze River downstream of the Three Gorges Dam. Sci Total Environ 785:147343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147343
Gasparrini A, Armstrong B, Kenward MG (2010) Distributed lag non-linear models. Stat Med 29:2224–2234. https://doi.org/10.1002/sim.3940
Gasparrini A, Guo Y, Hashizume M, Lavigne E, Zanobetti A, Schwartz J, Tobias A, Tong S, Rocklov J, Forsberg B, Leone M, De Sario M, Bell ML, Guo YL, Wu CF, Kan H, Yi SM, de Sousa ZSCM, Saldiva PH, Honda Y, Kim H, Armstrong B (2015) Mortality risk attributable to high and low ambient temperature: a multicountry observational study. Lancet 386:369–375. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)62114-0
Graudenz GS, Landgraf RG, Jancar S, Tribess A, Fonseca SG, Fae KC, Kalil J (2006) The role of allergic rhinitis in nasal responses to sudden temperature changes. J Allergy Clin Immunol 118:1126–1132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2006.07.005
Iniguez C, Roye D, Tobias A (2021) Contrasting patterns of temperature related mortality and hospitalization by cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in 52 Spanish cities. Environ Res 192:110191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.110191
Joshi M, Goraya H, Joshi A, Bartter T (2020) Climate change and respiratory diseases: a 2020 perspective. Curr Opin Pulm Med 26:119–127. https://doi.org/10.1097/MCP.0000000000000656
Kaciuba-Uscilko H, Grucza R (2001) Gender differences in thermoregulation. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care 4:533–536. https://doi.org/10.1097/00075197-200111000-00012
Fauci LAV, Squeri R, Spataro P, Genovese C, Laudani N, Alessi V (2019) Young people, young adults and binge drinking. J Prev Med Hyg 60: 376-385, https://doi.org/10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2019.60.4.1309.
Li C, Li Q, Tong D, Wang Q, Wu M, Sun B, Su G, Tan L (2020a) Environmental impact and health risk assessment of volatile organic compound emissions during different seasons in Beijing. J Environ Sci (China) 93:1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2019.11.006
Li L, Hong X, Peng K (2019) A spatial panel analysis of carbon emissions, economic growth and high-technology industry in China. Struct Chang Econ Dyn 49:83–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2018.09.010
Li S, Guo Y, Williams G, Baker P, Ye X, Madaniyazi L, Kim DS, Pan X (2015) The association between ambient temperature and children’s lung function in Baotou, China. Int J Biometeorol 59:791–798. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-014-0897-2
Li X, Cao X, Guo M, Xie M, Liu X (2020b) Trends and risk factors of mortality and disability adjusted life years for chronic respiratory diseases from 1990 to 2017: systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. BMJ 368:m234. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m234
Lim Y, Low TT, Chan SP, Teo TW, Jang JJ, Yip N, Kuntjoro I, Tay EL, Yip JW (2019) Pulmonary arterial hypertension in a multi-ethnic Asian population: characteristics, survival and mortality predictors from a 14-year follow-up study. Respirology 24:162–170. https://doi.org/10.1111/resp.13392
Lin K, Marr LC (2020) Humidity-dependent decay of viruses, but not bacteria, in aerosols and droplets follows disinfection kinetics. Environ Sci Technol 54:1024–1032. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b04959
Lotterhos KE, Laruson AJ, Jiang LQ (2021) Novel and disappearing climates in the global surface ocean from 1800 to 2100. Sci Rep 11:15535. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-94872-4
Luo Y, Zhang Y, Liu T, Rutherford S, Xu Y, Xu X, Wu W, Xiao J, Zeng W, Chu C, Ma W (2013) Lagged effect of diurnal temperature range on mortality in a subtropical megacity of China. PLoS ONE 8. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0055280
Luo YF, Li L, Li QH, Jiao SL, Li HM, Chen FF (2017) [Spatial and temporal distribution of chlorophyll a and its relationship to algae and environmental factors in Aha reservoir]. Huan Jing Ke Xue 38: 4151–4159. https://doi.org/10.13227/j.hjkx.201703177.
McArdle WD, Toner MM, Magel JR, Spina RJ, Pandolf KB (1992) Thermal responses of men and women during cold-water immersion: influence of exercise intensity. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 65:265–270. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00705092
McCormack MC, Belli AJ, Waugh D, Matsui EC, Peng RD, Williams DL, Paulin L, Saha A, Aloe CM, Diette GB, Breysse PN, Hansel NN (2016) Respiratory effects of indoor heat and the interaction with air pollution in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Ann Am Thorac Soc 13:2125–2131. https://doi.org/10.1513/AnnalsATS.201605-329OC
Moriyama M, Hugentobler WJ, Iwasaki A (2020) Seasonality of respiratory viral infections. Annual Review of Virology 7:83–101. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-virology-012420-022445
Nocco MA, Smail RA, Kucharik CJ (2019) Observation of irrigation-induced climate change in the Midwest United States. Glob Chang Biol 25:3472–3484. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14725
Orru H, Ebi KL, Forsberg B (2017) The interplay of climate change and air pollution on health. Curr Environ Health Rep 4:504–513. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-017-0168-6
Ou CQ, Yang J, Ou QQ, Liu HZ, Lin GZ, Chen PY, Qian J, Guo YM (2014) The impact of relative humidity and atmospheric pressure on mortality in Guangzhou, China. Biomed Environ Sci 27:917–925. https://doi.org/10.3967/bes2014.132
Phosri A, Sihabut T, Jaikanlaya C (2020) Short-term effects of diurnal temperature range on hospital admission in Bangkok Thailand. Sci Total Environ 717:137202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137202
Qin H, Huang Q, Zhang Z, Lu Y, Li M, Xu L, Chen Z (2019) Carbon dioxide emission driving factors analysis and policy implications of Chinese cities: combining geographically weighted regression with two-step cluster. Sci Total Environ 684:413–424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.05.352
Renaud-Picard B, Toussaint J, Leclercq A, Reeb J, Kessler L, Toti F, Kessler R (2017) Membranous microparticles and respiratory disease. Rev Mal Respir 34:1058–1071. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmr.2017.10.005
Rice MB, Li W, Wilker EH, Gold DR, Schwartz J, Zanobetti A, Koutrakis P, Kloog I, Washko GR, O’Connor GT, Mittleman MA (2019) Association of outdoor temperature with lung function in a temperate climate. Eur Respir J 53. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.00612-2018
Shao M, Yu L, Xiao C, Deng J, Yang H, Xu W, Chen Y, Liu X, Ni J, Pan F (2021) Short-term effects of ambient temperature and pollutants on the mortality of respiratory diseases: a time-series analysis in Hefei. China Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 215:112160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112160
Sheffield PE, Landrigan PJ (2011) Global climate change and children’s health: threats and strategies for prevention. Environ Health Perspect 119:291–298. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1002233
Shi J, Song G, (2016) Chinese Soil Species Database—a national soil data set based on the second soil census Soil data set. Chinese Scientific Data (Chinese and English online version), 1–12
Siegel RL, Miller KD, Jemal A (2020) Cancer statistics, 2020. CA Cancer J Clin 70:7–30. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21590
Stein CM, Morris NJ, Hall NB, Nock NL (2017) Structural equation modeling. Methods Mol Biol 1666:557–580. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7274-6_28
Stern NH, Great BT (2007) The economics of climate change: the Stern review. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Sun S, Laden F, Hart JE, Qiu H, Wang Y, Wong CM, Lee RS, Tian L (2018) Seasonal temperature variability and emergency hospital admissions for respiratory diseases: a population-based cohort study. Thorax 73:951–958. https://doi.org/10.1136/thoraxjnl-2017-211333
Vahedian M, Khanjani N, Mirzaee M, Koolivand A (2017) Associations of short-term exposure to air pollution with respiratory hospital admissions in Arak Iran. J Environ Health Sci Eng 15:17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40201-017-0277-z
Wang J, Yu L, Deng J, Gao X, Chen Y, Shao M, Zhang T, Ni M, Pan F (2021) Short-term effect of meteorological factors on the risk of rheumatoid arthritis hospital admissions: a distributed lag non-linear analysis in Hefei China. Environ Res 112168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.112168
Wang Y, Zhao T (2018) Impacts of urbanization-related factors on CO2 emissions: evidence from China’s three regions with varied urbanization levels. Atmos Pollut Res 9:15–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2017.06.002
Wang YC, Lin YK (2015) Temperature effects on outpatient visits of respiratory diseases, asthma, and chronic airway obstruction in Taiwan. Int J Biometeorol 59:815–825. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-014-0899-0
Wang Z, Zhou Y, Luo M, Yang H, Xiao S, Huang X, Ou Y, Zhang Y, Duan X, Hu W, Liao C, Zheng Y, Wang L, Xie M, Tang L, Zheng J, Liu S, Wu F, Deng Z, Tian H, Peng J, Wang X, Zhong N, Ran P (2020) Association of diurnal temperature range with daily hospitalization for exacerbation of chronic respiratory diseases in 21 cities. China Respir Res 21:251. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-020-01517-7
Watts N, Amann M, Arnell N, Ayeb-Karlsson S, Beagley J, Belesova K, Boykoff M, Byass P, Cai W, Campbell-Lendrum D, Capstick S, Chambers J, Coleman S, Dalin C, Daly M, Dasandi N, Dasgupta S, Davies M, Di Napoli C, Dominguez-Salas P, Drummond P, Dubrow R, Ebi KL, Eckelman M, Ekins P, Escobar LE, Georgeson L, Golder S, Grace D, Graham H, Haggar P, Hamilton I, Hartinger S, Hess J, Hsu SC, Hughes N, Jankin MS, Jimenez MP, Kelman I, Kennard H, Kiesewetter G, Kinney PL, Kjellstrom T, Kniveton D, Lampard P, Lemke B, Liu Y, Liu Z, Lott M, Lowe R, Martinez-Urtaza J, Maslin M, McAllister L, McGushin A, McMichael C, Milner J, Moradi-Lakeh M, Morrissey K, Munzert S, Murray KA, Neville T, Nilsson M, Sewe MO, Oreszczyn T, Otto M, Owfi F, Pearman O, Pencheon D, Quinn R, Rabbaniha M, Robinson E, Rocklov J, Romanello M, Semenza JC, Sherman J, Shi L, Springmann M, Tabatabaei M, Taylor J, Trinanes J, Shumake-Guillemot J, Vu B, Wilkinson P, Winning M, Gong P, Montgomery H, Costello A (2021) The 2020 report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: responding to converging crises. Lancet 397:129–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32290-X
Wei T, Wijesiri B, Li Y, Goonetilleke A (2020) Particulate matter exchange between atmosphere and roads surfaces in urban areas. J Environ Sci (China) 98:118–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2020.05.027
Williams R, Rankin N, Smith T, Galler D, Seakins P (1996) Relationship between the humidity and temperature of inspired gas and the function of the airway mucosa. Crit Care Med 24:1920–1929. https://doi.org/10.1097/00003246-199611000-00025
Wolkoff P, Azuma K, Carrer P (2021) Health, work performance, and risk of infection in office-like environments: the role of indoor temperature, air humidity, and ventilation. Int J Hyg Environ Health 233:113709. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2021.113709
Xu L, Stige LC, Chan KS, Zhou J, Yang J, Sang S, Wang M, Yang Z, Yan Z, Jiang T, Lu L, Yue Y, Liu X, Lin H, Xu J, Liu Q, Stenseth NC (2017) Climate variation drives dengue dynamics. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114:113–118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1618558114
Xu Z, Hu W, Tong S (2014) Temperature variability and childhood pneumonia: an ecological study. Environ Health 13:51. https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-069X-13-51
Yang J, Zhou M, Li M, Yin P, Wang B, Pilot E, Liu Y, van der Hoek W, van Asten L, Krafft T, Liu Q (2018a) Diurnal temperature range in relation to death from stroke in China. Environ Res 164:669–675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2018.03.036
Yang LT, Chang YM, Hsieh TH, Hou WH, Li CY (2018b) Associations of ambient temperature with mortality rates of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in Taiwan: a subtropical country. Acta Cardiologica Sinica 34:166–174. https://doi.org/10.6515/ACS.201803_34(2).20171101A
Zhang Y, Li C, Feng R, Zhu Y, Wu K, Tan X, Ma L (2016) The short-term effect of ambient temperature on mortality in Wuhan, China: a time-series study using a distributed lag non-linear model. Int J Environ Res Public Health 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13070722
Zhao C, Wang Y, Wang Y, Zhang H, Zhao B, (2014) [Temporal and spatial distribution of PM25 and PM10 pollution status and the correlation of particulate matters and meteorological factors during winter and spring in Beijing]. Huan jing ke xue= Huanjing kexue 35:418–427
Funding
This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81273169, 81573218, 81773514, 82073655), the funds for academic and technical leaders in Anhui province (2017D140) and the funds for Scientific Research of Anhui Medical University (2020xkjT006).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
LY: conceptualization, methodology, software, writing—original draft, visualization, writing—review and editing. JZ: conceptualization, writing—review and editing, methodology, validation. MS: software, writing—original draft, visualization, data curation. JW: investigation, data curation, validation, conceptualization. YM: software, data curation, investigation. KH: investigation, visualization, software. HL: software, visualization. JZ: resources, supervision. XF: writing—review and editing, project administration. FP: resources, writing—review and editing, supervision, project administration, funding acquisition.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethics approval
Ethical approval for in this study was not sought, and it is a secondary analysis research.
Consent to participate
It is declared that there are no human participants, human data or human tissues.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Responsible editor: Lotfi Aleya
Publisher's note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yu, L., Zhu, J., Shao, M. et al. Relationship between meteorological factors and mortality from respiratory diseases in a subtropical humid region along the Yangtze River in China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 78483–78498 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21268-w
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21268-w