Air pollution is an important determinant of population health. The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution is responsible for nearly 2% of all deaths globally. The current research is aimed at determining the specific components of air pollution that are most likely linked to increased risk of mortality. Since one air pollutant is unlikely to be emitted by itself, various mixtures of air pollutants must be investigated. It is possible that the health effects of one pollutant in the mixture might be larger than the health effects of another. The current research focuses on the relationship between multiple air pollutants and mortality in the general population. By examining combinations of pollutants, it is possible to isolate, to a certain extent, the effects of individual pollutants.
The population health outcomes investigated include mortality from cardiopulmonary conditions, lung cancer, and all causes combined. Air pollution data from various metropolitan regions in the U.S. were linked to the health outcomes of individuals living in these areas. Characteristics of individuals that may affect the relationship between air pollution and mortality, such as age, sex, smoking history, alcohol use, were obtained from the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II cohort. Nearly 1.2 million adults were enrolled in this study in 1982, and have been followed up on an on-going basis. This study suggests that sulfate and, more broadly, fine particulate matter may be the most important contributors to excess risk of all-cause, cardiopulmonary, and lung cancer mortality.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/27775 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Lewis, Roxanne E |
| Publisher | University of Ottawa (Canada) |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 183 p. |
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