The Eastern Economic Corridor in Thailand is undergoing development, but industrial activities are causing serious air pollution. This study aimed to examine the effects of particulate matter (PM10), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), SO2, NO2, O3, and CO on outpatient department (OPD) visits and mortality with various causes in the Eastern Economic Corridor, Thailand between 2013 and 2019 using a case-crossover design and conditional Poisson model. The corresponding burden of disease due to air pollution exposure was calculated. A 1 µg/m3 increase in the PM10 was associated with significant increases in OPD visits for circulatory diseases (0.22, 95% CI 0.01, 0.34), respiratory diseases (0.21, 95% CI 0.13, 0.28), and skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases (0.18, 95% CI 0.10, 0.26). By contrast, a 1 µg/m3 increase in the PM10 was associated with significant increases in mortality from skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases (0.79, 95% CI 0.04, 1.56). A 1 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with significant increases in mortality from circulatory diseases (0.75, 95% CI 0.20, 1.34), respiratory diseases (0.82, 95% CI 0.02, 1.63), and skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases (2.91, 95% CI 0.99, 4.86). The highest OPD burden was for circulatory diseases. Respiratory effects were attributed to PM10 exceeding the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) of Thailand (120 μg/m3). The highest morbidity burden was for skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases attributed to PM2.5 concentrations that exceeded the NAAQs (50 μg/m3). PM pollution in the EEC could strongly contribute to OPD visits and morbidity from various diseases. Preventing PM10 concentrations from being higher than 60 µg/m3 could decrease OPD visits by more than 33,265 and 29,813 for circulatory and respiratory diseases, respectively. Our study suggests that such pollution increases the risks of OPD visits and mortality in various causes in the Thai EEC. Reducing the ambient air pollution concentration of NAAQSs in Thailand could reduce the health effect on the Thai population.
Keywords: Eastern Economic Corridor; air pollution; case-crossover study; conditional Poisson model; mortality; outpatient department visits; particulate matter.