OP IX – 4 Quantification of environmental burden of disease related to nitrogen dioxide exposure in germany

Background/aim Epidemiological studies have shown associations of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) with numerous health outcomes. EU-wide air quality limit values for NO 2 are in place but regularly exceeded at measuring stations near roads in Germany. Therefore, a health risk assessment for the NO 2 -exposure of the German population was conducted. Methods For 2007 up to 2014, maps of the annual spatial 1*1 km 2 distribution of a population-weighted NO 2 concentration indicator were calculated based on assimilated modelling data of background NO 2 within a 7*8 km 2 grid and population density within a 250*250 m 2 grid. For three model regions a small scale assessment of the NO 2 exposure was achieved by considering concentrations in the higher resolved urban background as well as close to highly polluted street sections. A systematic literature search of epidemiological studies was performed to ascertain the current evidence on long-term health effects of NO 2 and to identify exposure-response-functions transferrable to Germany. The Environmental Burden of Disease-concept was applied to quantify the NO 2 -associated health risks for relevant outcomes. Results The yearly mean of background NO 2 slightly decreased from 13 μg/m 3 (range: 4.3 to 37.3 μg/m 3 ) in 2007 to 11.8 μg/m 3 (3.4 to 32.7 μg/m 3 ) in 2014. Using a counterfactual value of 10 µg/m 3 , 5966 (95%-confidence interval: 2031 to 9,893) premature deaths and 49,726 (16,929 to 82,456) Years of Live Lost (YLL) due to cardiovascular mortality attributable to NO 2 long-term exposure were estimated for the year 2014. Between 2007 and 2014 an overall slightly decreasing trend was observed for attributable premature deaths. The higher resolution of NO 2 -concentration for the three model regions led to a substantial increase in the estimated number of premature deaths due to cardiovascular disease by 40% to 165%. Conclusion The present estimates are based on NO 2 concentrations reflecting background exposure and thus underestimate the burden of disease. A better accuracy of the NO 2 exposure estimation accounting for the higher concentrations in urban areas close to traffic improves the burden of disease quantification and may enhance the distinction of health effects related to fine and ultrafine particles.