Associations between fine particulate matter constituents and daily cardiovascular mortality in Shanghai, China

Abstract Limited evidence is available for the associations between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) constituents and daily cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in China. In present study, a time-series analysis was conducted to evaluate the associations of PM2.5 constituents (two carbonaceous fractions, eight water-soluble inorganic ions and fifteen elements) with daily CVD mortality in Pudong New Area of Shanghai, China, from 2014 to 2016. Results showed that the effect estimates for the associations of PM2.5 and its constituents with CVD mortality were generally strongest when using the exposures of the previous two day concentrations. The associations of organic carbon, sulfate, ammonia, potassium, copper, arsenic, and lead with daily CVD mortality were robust to the adjustment of PM2.5 total mass, their collinearity with PM2.5 total mass, and criteria gaseous air pollutants. An interquartile range increase in the previous two day concentrations of PM2.5, organic carbon, sulfate, ammonia, potassium, copper, arsenic, and lead were associated with significant increments of 2.21% (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 0.54%, 3.88%), 2.83% (95% CIs: 1.16%, 4.50%), 1.90% (95% CIs: 0.35%, 3.45%), 2.29% (95% CIs: 0.80%, 3.77%), 0.94% (95% CIs: 0.13%, 1.75%), 1.53% (95% CIs: 0.37%, 2.69%), 2.08% (95% CIs: 0.49%, 3.68%) and 1.98% (95% CIs: 0.49%, 3.47%) in daily CVD mortality, respectively, in single-pollutant models. In conclusion, this study suggested that organic carbon, sulfate, ammonia, potassium, copper, arsenic, and lead might be mainly responsible for the associations between short-term PM2.5 exposures and increased CVD mortality in Shanghai, China.