▲ Professor Young Hoon Kim of the Division of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation at Asan Medical Center

As climate change continues to drive a steady rise in atmospheric ozone levels, a recent study has revealed that ozone has a significant impact on the health of organ transplant patients.

A research team led by Professor Young Hoon Kim of the Division of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation at Asan Medical Center analyzed data from 4,796 adult patients who underwent kidney transplantation at three university hospitals in Korea between 2002 and 2020. Using a high-resolution machine learning-based air pollution prediction model, the team estimated the annual average ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations in the patients’ residential areas.

Long-term follow-up of patients who survived more than one year after transplantation revealed that for every 5 ppb increase in annual average ozone concentration, the risk of all-cause mortality rose by about 65 percent and the risk of graft failure by about 60 percent. The study further showed that risks increased markedly when ozone concentrations exceeded approximately 35 ppb, with a sharper rise in mortality observed above 40 ppb.

Professor Young Hoon Kim stated, “This study is significant as it is the first in the world to demonstrate the negative effects of long-term ozone exposure on both the survival of transplant patients and the function of transplanted kidneys.”

The findings were published in the latest issue of the international journal ‘American Journal of Transplantation.’