Background and purpose: Particulate matter less than 10 microns (PM₁₀) is one of the main pollutants that cause irreparable damage to the environment and human health. The aim of this study was to estimate the health effects of PM₁₀ on human health.

Materials and methods: This analytic study was conducted in Bushehr, 2013. PM₁₀ data were obtained from Bushehr Meteorological organization and Department of environment. PM₁₀ concentration was measured by GRIMM. Raw data processing was done in Excel (instruction set correction of averaging and coding), then the impact of meterological parameters was considered and the data was converted into the Air Q model.

Results: The results showed that the annual average concentrations of PM₁₀ in Bushehr was 251.35 µg/m³. Total number of cardiovascular diseases attributed to PM₁₀ was 130 cases. The total cumulative number of respiratory diseases in a year was 346. 52 of which 52% were attributed to PM₁₀ concentration less than 150 µg/m³. In areas studied per 10 µg/m³ increased concentrations of PM_10, the risks of cardiovascular death and respiratory deaths increased by1.8% and 2.1%, respectively.

Conclusion: High rates of these two diseases could be due to higher average PM₁₀ or continued days of high PM₁₀ concentration in Bushehr.