SARS Deaths Higher in More Polluted Regions
High levels of air pollution may increase the risk of dying from SARS — severe acute respiratory syndrome.
A study in China found that patients with SARS who were living in areas with high air pollution were more than twice as likely to die from the illness than those living in cleaner areas.
Researchers developed an air pollution index from data on ambient concentrations on ozone, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide, to compare with data on SARS illnesses and fatalities. There have been over 5,000 cases of SARS reported in China since November 2002, with 349 fatalities.
The study authors suggest that air pollution might compromise lung function, predisposing SARS patients to illness and death.
Cui, Y., Zhang, Z.-F., Froines, J., Zhao, J., Want, H., Yu, S.-Z., and Detels, R. Air Pollution and Case Fatality of SARS in the People’s Republic of China: An Ecologic Study. Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source. Vol. 2, No. 15, November 20, 2003. Environmental Health Journal [www.ehjournal.net] offers the article online.
