Improved global air quality health index reveals ozone and nitrogen dioxide as main drivers of air-pollution-related acute mortality.

ABSTRACT: Ambient air pollutants are leading contributors to global mortality. Despite the well-established risks, most studies have relied on single-pollutant models in limited regions, leaving the combined effects and individual contributions of pollutants unclear, particularly across countries. Here, we integrate daily mortality and air pollutant (nitrogen dioxide [NO₂], ozone [O₃], fine particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide) data from 482 cities in 12 countries/territories from 1998 to 2021 to assess the joint mortality risks and identify the main contributing pollutant through an air quality health index of multi-pollutant constrained groupwise additive models (AQHI-Multi). AQHI-Multi outperformed commonly used air quality indices in capturing the overall mortality risks. O₃ and NO₂ were the leading contributors (accounting for over 70% across countries/territories), with O₃'s share increasing slightly to moderately in most countries/territories. These findings highlight the need for developing air quality indices using advanced multi-pollutant models and the emerging global significance of targeted control of O₃ and NO₂.

SUBMITTER: Huang W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7618329 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature