Abstract
F ine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ; ≤ 2.5μm in aerodynamic diameter) stands out among all pollutants as more directly responsible for long - term health problems . T h is work aims to evaluate the public health benefits of improved air quality in Brazil , based on the estimated reduction in mortality from PM 2.5 , a pollutant commonly related to all causes mortality including non - accidental, cardiovascular , ischemic heart diseases and lung cancer. Annual PM 2.5 concentrations we re obtained from 50 monitoring stations spread across 24 Brazil ian cities between the years 2000 and 2017 , which constituted the baseline scenario . The control scenario was represented by the annual PM 2.5 guideline values (10 μ g m - 3 ) of the World Health Organization ( WHO ) . The relationship between the change in baseline and control scenarios with health effects was estimated using the BenMAP - CE program and the application of exposure - response functions. São Paulo city showed the highest number of avoidable deaths, with values ranging from 2 8 , 874 ± 9,769 and 8 2 , 720 ± 24,549 for all causes from 2000 to 2017. In 20 09 , just three Brazilian cities were monitoring PM 2.5 . Between 877 ± 295 and 2,497 ± 719 a ll causes avoidable deaths related to PM 2.5 were estimated under the scenario when the WHO guideline w as applied. In 2017, the 15 cities with representative annual PM 2.5 data account for between 2,378 ± 801 and 6,282 ± 1 , 818 avoidable deaths due to all - cause PM 2.5 mortality, between 2,974 ± 376 and 10,397 ± 516 avoidable deaths due non - accidental causes, between 1,373 ± 230 and 3,428 ± 265 avoidable deaths due cardiovascular disease , between 927 ± 162 and 2,514 ± 156 avoidable deaths due ischemic heart diseases and the lowest between 101 ± 45 and 264 ± 88 avoidable deaths due to lung cancer.