Long-term trends (compared to the pre-war period) and public health impact of surface ozone in Ukraine

Abstract

Aim: To analyze the dynamics of ambient air pollution by surface O3 (in pre-war and wartime periods) and assess its impact on public health in order to provide proposals aimed at developing preventive programs. Materials and Methods: Physical and chemical methods of analysis (О3 – gas analyzers APDA-370 HORIBA, meteorological sensor WS-600); health risk assessment (AirQ+); statistical data processing methods (StatSoft STATISTICA 10.0 portable, MicrosoftR Excel). Results: Air quality monitoring in peak season 2021 and 2022 detected exceedances of the daily maximum 8-hour ozone (O3) concentration. This resulted in a health risk for the exposed population during 70 % (174 days) and 84 % (181 days) of observations, respectively. The maximum exceedance levels were 1.7 and 2.1 times higher than the recommended limit. Estimated number of excess cases of natural and respiratory mortality in the population over 30 years due to long-term O3 exposure: 227 (95 % CI: 0; 450) and 22 (95 % CI: 0; 54), respectively. Predictive assessments of ozone (O3) air pollution’s impact during wartime activities suggest an average increase of 40 % in additional deaths from non-communicable diseases. Conclusions: Obtained results can serve as a basis for development of medical and environmental measures aimed at implementing adaptation proposals for public health in conditions of global climate change and wartime.