Measuring the Environmental Burden of Disease in South Korea: A Population-Based Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Seok-Jun Yoon²  Hyeong-Su Kim¹  Jongsik Ha⁴  Eun-Jung Kim³ 

[1] Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, KonKuk University, Seoul 143-729, Korea; E-Mail:;Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 136-705, Korea; E-Mail:;Department of Economics, Economic Research Institute, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Korea;Korea Adaptation Center for Climate Change, Korea Environment Institute, Sejong 339-007, Korea; E-Mail:

关键词: environmental disease;    environmental burden of disease;    environmental risk factors;    DALY;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph120707938

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Background: This study attempted to measure the environmental burden of disease by examining mortality and disability rates in South Korea, permitting international comparisons. Methods: Disability-adjusted life years (DALY) was used to analyze data from public records. Years of life lost (YLL) and years lost to disability (YLD) were measured in terms of incidence rate and number of deaths. Attributable risks were based on those for WHO Western Pacific Regions. For air pollution, attributable risk was calculated using local PM₁₀ levels and relative risk. Results: The total Korean environmental burden of disease was 17.98 per 1000 persons and the most serious risk factor was air pollution, at 6.89per1000 persons. Occupation was the second highest contributing factor, at 3.29 per 1000 persons, followed by indoor air pollution at 2.91 per 1000 persons. The DALY of air-pollution (indoor and outdoor) was 9.80 per 1000 persons, accounting for more than half of the total environmental burden of disease. The burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and asthma were 4.07, 3.16, and 1.96 per 1000 persons, respectively. Conclusions: Respiratory illnesses comprised most of the disease burden, the majority of which was linked to air pollution. The present results are important as they could be used to make evidence-based decisions regarding the management of diseases and environmental-risk factors.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.