Air quality worse in densely populated areas: NZ study

by IANS |

Wellington, Jan 10 (IANS) Higher population density is associated with worse air quality and related health outcomes in New Zealand's largest city Auckland, according to a study published on Friday.Housing intensification in Auckland will likely increase ill health from air pollution unless steps are taken to reduce exposure to emissions from motor vehicles, according to a study by the University of Auckland.

Respiratory hospitalizations and asthma in children were higher for more densely populated areas, and air pollution, especially nitrogen dioxide (NO2), was linked with population density, the study showed based on data from 2015-2017.Among pollution sources such as traffic, domestic fires and industry, motor vehicle traffic is the most important source and is the highest in the most densely populated parts of the city, the study said, adding transport reforms to reduce such traffic should be considered when planning for denser cities.

Published at the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, the research explored associations between population density, air pollution concentrations, and related health outcomes in New Zealand's Auckland, Xinhua news agency reported.

Higher population density was associated with higher concentrations of NO2 and PM2.5. Adverse health outcomes related to NO2 and respiratory hospitalizations attributed to PM2.5 exposure increased incrementally with the density of urban areas, the research article said.

Last November, the country's health ministry had initiated a nationally coordinated response after declaring early stages of a highly contagious whooping cough epidemic.

Cases had consistently increased for several weeks across New Zealand, meeting the threshold for a national epidemic to be declared, a Ministry of Health statement said, citing the country's last major outbreak of pertussis in 2017, which lasted for months and potentially for a year or more.

Whooping cough cases have been steadily increasing following spikes in May, June and July, according to the Institute of Environmental Science and Research.

The ministry warned that New Zealand should also be ready to see similarly high levels of cases over the next 12 months or more, as a number of countries are experiencing record levels of pertussis, possibly due to lower infection rates during the Covid-19 pandemic, said Nicholas Jones, Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health.Jones warned of the risk of severe illness among babies either too young to be immunised or whose immunisations are delayed, as well as Maori and Pacific people living in New Zealand who will be most affected."Even in countries with very high levels of immunisation, epidemics still occur every few years, but the number of babies who get very sick is much lower when mothers have been vaccinated during pregnancy, and when people are vaccinated on time," she said.