What are statistics of health problems (such as coughing, headaches, asthma) caused by pollution? Please cite your sources.

Between 2008 and 2010, the role of SO2 was found
to be more important than the effect of PM10 on asthma
cases reported in Nigde, regardless of age and sex
(Fig. 6).

The Pearson correlation coefficient was computed
to be 0.4869 between ambient SO2 concentration
and total monthly asthma cases in Nigde. This value
was found to be statistically significant, based on 99 %
confidence (tcomputation03.25>tcritical(α00.01; df034)02.44).
PM10 concentration was also found to be well correlated
with the number of asthma cases in Nigde between
2008 and 2010 (tcomputation02.76>tcritical(α00.01; df034)0
2.44).

On the other hand, correlation between PM10
concentration and SO2 concentration was found to be
insignificant (tcomputation01.28<tcritical(α00.01; df034)0
2.44). The results of the multiple correlation two independent
variables (SO2 and PM10) showed that the
number of asthma cases can be as low as 303 per
month if low PM10 and SO2 exist in the ambient air.
It was also found that monthly total asthma cases
reported (435±80) are significantly higher when SO2
concentrations are above 20 μgm−3 in Nigde compared
to the asthma cases reported (388±71) when SO2 concentrations
are below 20 μgm−3.

These circumstances
were tested using analysis of variance. Three different
SO2 groups were selected (0–6 μgm−3 (clean air region),
7–30 μgm−3 (transition region), and >31 μgm−3
(impaired ambient air)) and total asthma cases were
grouped under this selection (each covering 12 months).
Based on single-factor ANOVA, the total asthma cases
were found to be significantly different with respect to the
aforementioned ambient SO2 concentrations (Fcomputation0
3.528>Fcritical(α00.05; 3; 33)03.285).

Based on the Tukey’s test,
the impaired ambient air period and the clean air period differ
in terms of the number of asthma cases in Nigde.

Reference: Kara, E., Ozdilek, H.G. and Kara, E. E. (2013). Ambient air quality and asthma cases in Nigde, Turkey. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 20: 4225-4234.

DOI 10.1007/s11356-012-1376-0