Association between Outdoor Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Mortality in Bangalore.

Bangalore, India, is witnessing a dramatic increase in the levels of pollutants as a result of rapid urbanisation and its consequent economic growth. A wealth of studies from around the world have shown an association between high levels of outdoor pollutants and cardiovascular health. Given the fact that India, and in particular Bangalore, lacks studies in this area, the paper intends to address this gap in knowledge. We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study covering a sample of 34,034 residents of the city to examine the association between outdoor air pollutants (Particulate Matter <10µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2 ) and Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx )) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality over the years 2010-2012. Simple and Multivariable Logistic Regression models were used to estimate the association between predictors (age, gender and outdoor pollutants – PM10, SO2 and NOx levels) and CVD mortality. The analysis highlights significant associations between PM10/NOx levels and CVD mortality, and provides an important contribution to the scientific literature addressing issues related to the impact of outdoor air pollution on health in Bangalore.