matimba-health-risk-assessment_5-65d8da46f8ffa3b8.pdf

This 2006 report by INFOTOX for Eskom reviews international literature to identify risk factors for quantifying health impacts associated with PM, NO2, and SO2 emissions. It highlights the cardiovascular and respiratory risks of particulate matter, identifies highly susceptible subpopulations (children, elderly, and the chronically ill), and notes significant data gaps in South African provincial hospital admission records that hinder precise local risk quantification.

• The report identifies a wide range of adverse health effects associated with airborne particulate matter (PM), including premature mortality, changes in lung function, and the aggravation of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Evidence suggests these effects occur independently of other pollutants like ozone, NO2, and SO2, and there is general agreement that no threshold concentration exists below which health is not jeopardised.
• Certain subpopulations are identified as being more susceptible to PM air pollution, potentially experiencing greater severity of effects at lower pollution levels. These include children (risk of decreased lung function and increased respiratory symptoms), elderly individuals, and people with pre-existing conditions such as asthma, COPD, ischemic heart disease, diabetes, or infectious respiratory diseases like pneumonia.
• Short-term exposure to PM10 is consistently associated with increased mortality and morbidity. The WHO suggests that mortality risks are similar across developed and underdeveloped cities, estimated at approximately 0.5% per 10 ug/m3. Short-term morbidity risks for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases are estimated between 2% and 6% and 2% and 12% respectively per 50 ug/m3 PM10.
• The report notes significant challenges in quantifying health risks for the South African population due to deficiencies in the national health database, specifically a lack of national or provincial hospital admission data. While vulnerability factors specific to South Africa were considered to refine the assessment, they were deemed not feasible to include at the time of the report.
• Analysis of pollutant interactions indicates that SO2 and PM2.5 often originate from the same sources, such as coal-fired power plants. Including both in a single model can diminish the PM2.5 risk factor, leading the USEPA to emphasize single-pollutant models as they more likely reflect overall effects.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). matimba-health-risk-assessment_5-65d8da46f8ffa3b8.pdf. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Matimba-Health-Risk-Assessment_5.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. matimba-health-risk-assessment_5-65d8da46f8ffa3b8.pdf. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Matimba-Health-Risk-Assessment_5.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=matimba-health-risk-assessment_5-65d8da46f8ffa3b8.pdf |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Matimba-Health-Risk-Assessment_5.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrightsndmatimbahealthriskassessment565d8da46f8ffa3b8pdf, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{matimba-health-risk-assessment\_5-65d8da46f8ffa3b8.pdf}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Matimba-Health-Risk-Assessment_5.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }