摘要:Summary (Airborne fine particles pollution and health risks estimates). - In this paper the results of the
analyses of health risks associated with PM10 and PM2.5 are discussed, which have been made by the WHO and
by a recent Italian multicentric epidemiological study in 8 cities. The distribution of PM10 and PM2.5 levels in
the various cities are also considered. WHO estimates of short-term relative risk of daily mortality were 1.0074
and 1.015, by 10 µg/m3 increase respectively of PM10 and of PM2,5. Long-term risk estimates of mortality for
the same increase of PM10 and PM2.5 were respectively 1.10 and 1.14, whereas more recent evaluations have
indicated a value of 1.07 for PM2.5. The Italian meta-analysis study was concentrated on short-term effects
associated to PM10. The effect estimate on mortality was an increase of 1.17%. The short-term effects indicated
by the Italian study appeared greater than those estimated by WHO, but the confidence intervals (0.44%-
2.06%) included the value of 0.74%. The hypothesis of a greater risk in Italy for the same increase of PM10
deserves further examination. The available mean concentration levels of PM10 in Italy showed an acceptable
agreement, even if they were produced by different bodies. Mean yearly concentration of PM10 in the major
Italian cities resulted about 50 µg/m3, range 30 µg/m3 to less than 70 µg/m3 since the first ’90 up to 2001. Very
few data are available on PM2.5, with the exception of Rome where mean annual levels resulted near 28 µg/m3,
with 24 h averages ranging from 5 to 101 µg/m3.
关键词:Key words: health risk, PM10, PM2.5, urban aerosol, atmospheric pollution.