Malaysia PWEL of PM10 in 2000, 2008 and 2013 dataset
Description
Abstract: Epidemiological studies have found that particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter (PM10) is hazardous to human health. Population-weighted exposure level (PWEL) estimation is one of the methods that provide quantitative assessments of areas where population is vulnerable to the harmful pollutant. This study assessed the PWEL of PM10 concentrations in the states of Malaysia for years 2000, 2008 and 2013 using remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS). Estimated PM10 annual mean concentrations with a spatial resolution of 5 kilometers retrieved from satellite data, and population count obtained from the Gridded Population of the World version 4 (GPWv4) from the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), were overlaid to generate PWEL of PM10. PWEL of PM10 for each state during the key period were then calculated to study the trend of PWEL of PM10. Concentrations of the pollutant were then classified based on the World Health Organization interim target (WHO IT) guideline. Data revealed that population distribution was non-uniform in each state of Malaysia. Generally, PWEL of PM10 was overall lower than the mean concentration in most states. Higher PWEL of PM10 concentrations were observed in the central region. Results have shown that the population in urban and industrialized states were most vulnerable to adverse health effects attributable to PM10 pollution. These results can be used as a decision-making tool and reference for health risk assessment of the population and regions that need more attention to curb air pollution. Excel workbook = Sheet 1: Malaysian population distribution, estimated PM10 values and calculated PWEL in 2000, 2008 and 2013 Sheet 2: Malaysian population and area distribution in different vulnerability levels according to WHO AQG & interim targets Sheet 3: Malaysian population and area distribution in different vulnerability levels according to Malaysia AQG & interim targets Sheet 4: Calculated PM10 from satellite data validation with ground-based PM10 measurement Sheet 5: Calculated relative humidity from satellite data IBM SPSS output: Correlation between population density and PWEL