Long-Term Effects of Air Pollution on Mortality Confirmed in French Study
The long term effects of air pollution on mortality were studied in 14,284 adults who lived in seven French cities.
Daily measurements of sulfur dioxide, total suspended particulate, black smoke, nitrogen dioxide and nitric oxide were available for a three year period. Statistical models controlled for individual confounders such as smoking, educational level, body mass index and occupational exposure. After excluding areas where local traffic pollution dominated, a positive association on the order observed in the long-term U.S. cites was reported for total suspended particulates, black smoke, nitrogen dioxide and nitric oxide and non-accidental mortality. Consistent patterns for lung cancer and cardiopulmonary causes were observed. Researchers conclude that “urban air pollution assessed in the 1970s was associated with increased mortality over 25 years in France.”
Filleul L, Rondeau V, Vandentorren S, Le Moual N, Cantagrel A, Annesi-Maesano I, Charpin D, Declercq C, Neukirch F, Paris C, Vervloet D, Brochard P, Tessier J-F, Kauffmann F, Baldi I. Twenty Five Year Mortality and Air Pollution: Results from the French PAARC Survey. Occup Environ Med 2005; 62:453-460.
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