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Study summary · Environment, air, water & exposures

What is the association between short-term exposure to fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10-2.5) particulate matter and mortality in East Asian cities?

In one paragraph

Short-term exposure, a meta-analysis (Environ Pollut 2015, PMID 26340298) — a 10-μg/m³ increase in PM10-2.5 (lag01) was associated with a 0.69% increase in cardiovascular mortality, but this association weakened after adjusting for other pollutants, particularly PM2.5. The abstract for Short-term exposure states no limitations.

Source: Environ Pollut 2015, PMID 26340298 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: medium

Environ Pollut · 2015 · PMID 26340298 · DOI 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.08.036

Plain-English summary written and published by Magellan Longevity · medical review by Gabriel Radu, DO (physiatrist, NPI 1376861765). We summarize what the paper reported — we did not run this study.

The takeaway

Short-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with increased all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality in East Asian cities.

The question

What is the association between short-term exposure to fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10-2.5) particulate matter and mortality in East Asian cities?

What they tested

The study hypothesized an association between increased concentrations of fine and coarse particulate matter and increased mortality.

How they did it

A two-stage analysis was conducted across 11 East Asian cities. City-specific estimates were generated using a time-series analysis with a generalized additive model (Quasi-Poisson distribution), followed by a meta-analysis to estimate overall effects.

What they found

A 10-μg/m³ increase in PM2.5 (lag01) was associated with a 0.38% increase in all-cause mortality, a 0.96% increase in cardiovascular mortality, and a 1% increase in respiratory mortality. A 10-μg/m³ increase in PM10-2.5 (lag01) was associated with a 0.69% increase in cardiovascular mortality, but this association weakened after adjusting for other pollutants, particularly PM2.5.

Increase in Mortality per 10-μg/m³ Increase in PM2.5 (lag01)
Values shown: Mortality Increase (%)
All Causes Mortality0.38
Cardiovascular Mortality0.96
Respiratory Mortality1

This chart shows the percentage increase in different types of mortality associated with a 10-μg/m³ increase in PM2.5 (lag01).

What it means

Increased mortality was associated with increasing concentrations of both PM2.5 and PM10-2.5 across the 11 East Asian cities studied.

Limitations

The abstract does not explicitly state any limitations of the study.

Where the published abstract does not list limitations, we say so rather than inventing them. Read the full paper on PubMed before drawing conclusions.

“each 10-microg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with increases in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality”— from the published abstract, Environ Pollut 2015

The paper at a glance

TitleShort-term exposure to fine and coarse particles and mortality: a multicity time-series study in East Asia
JournalEnviron Pollut
Year2015
PMID26340298 ↗
DOI10.1016/j.envpol.2015.08.036 ↗
TopicEnvironment, air, water & exposures

Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗

Where Magellan uses this paper

This citation sits behind the evidence grade on the pages below. Grades are set from the research and are independent of affiliate commissions.

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Molecules & mechanisms in this paper

Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.

Cite this page

These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.

APA
Magellan Longevity. (2026). What is the association between short-term exposure to fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10-2.5) particulate matter and mortality in East Asian cities? [Plain-English summary of Environ Pollut 2015, PMID 26340298, DOI 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.08.036]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d26340298.html
BibTeX
@misc{magellan_d26340298, title = {What is the association between short-term exposure to fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10-2.5) particulate matter and mortality in East Asian cities?}, author = {{Magellan Longevity}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d26340298.html}}, note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 26340298; DOI 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.08.036; Environ Pollut 2015. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO}, urldate = {2026-08-11} }
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How this summary was made. Every section above restates what the published abstract of PMID 26340298 reports — the question, the design, the numbers, the authors’ own conclusion and their stated limitations. We do not add claims the paper did not make, and we keep negative and no-effect findings in. Magellan’s evidence grades are set from research like this and never from affiliate commissions.

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Educational information, not medical advice. This is a plain-English summary of published research; it is not a treatment recommendation and nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual studies can be wrong, and a single paper rarely settles a question. Talk to your physician before acting on any research, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medication.