Objective To estimate the acute effect of short-term exposure to atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) on death due to nervous system disease in Jiangsu Province of China.

Methods Data were collected from environmental monitoring, meteorological monitoring, and resident death surveillance in 13 municipalities of Jiangsu Province from 2016 to 2021. A generalized additive model was performed to evaluate the association between daily PM_2.5 mass concentration and death due to nervous system disease, and a meta-analysis with a multivariate random effects model was performed to merge the effective values of PM_2.5 and risk of death in multiple cities.

Results In Jiangsu Province from 2016 to 2021, the daily mean mass concentration of PM_2.5M(P₂₅, P₇₅) was 43.1 (2.0, 333.6) μg/m³, and the average daily number of deaths due to nervous system diseaseM(P₂₅, P₇₅) was 32 (11, 75). The single-pollutant model showed that PM_2.5 at lag07 day had the greatest impact on daily deaths due to nervous system disease, and for every 10 μg/m³ increase in PM_2.5 concentration, the daily number of deaths due to nervous system disease was increased by 1.26% (95% CI: 0.57%, 1.95%). The effective value was still statistically significant in the double-pollutant model. Female and the elderly aged ≥65 years were more sensitive to acute death due to nervous system disease caused by PM_2.5. The exposure-response relationship between PM_2.5 and death due to nervous system disease was non-linear without threshold.

Conclusion Short-term exposure to PM_2.5 can result in an increase in daily deaths due to nervous system disease, and therefore, the potential threat of PM_2.5 on acute death should not be neglected.