The Short-term Impact of Air Pollution on the Mortality. Results of the EMECAM Project in the city of Huelva, 1993-1996

Abstract

Background: The objective of this study was to estimate the relationship between the levels of air pollution and the daily mortality in the city of Huelva for the 1993-1996 period using the EMECAM methodology. Methods: The number of daily deaths for all causes except external ones, the mortality of those over age 69, the mortality due to diseases of the circulatory system and the mortality for respiratory diseases were used as mortality indicators. Four pollutants – SO2, PM10, NO2 and CO - were analyzed, the daily levels of which were furnished by the air pollution monitoring network in Huelva. Autoregressive Poisson regression models were constructed controlling by tendency, seasonality, temperature, humidity, flue and events out of the ordinary. Results: For the mortality for all causes, a significant association was found to exist for the NO2 for the entire period (RR10m g/m3: 1.0414; CI95%: 1.0047-1.0794) and for the particles (PM10) for the cold half of the year (RR10m g/m3: 1.0358; CI95%: 1.007 – 1.0722). For the mortality in people over age 69, a significant relationship was found to exist for SO2 throughout the entire period (RR10m g/m3: 1.0606; CI95%: 1.0020-1.1227). A significant relationship to the mortality from respiratory disease to particles (PM10) was found to exist for the cold half of the year (RR10m g/m3: 1.1412; IC95%: 1.0300-1.2644). There was no association of contaminants with cardiovascular mortality; also there was no association between levels of CO and mortality indicators...