Small polluting particles can cause death

2000/10/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena

Microscopic particles suspended in the air make city dwellers more likely to die young. The debate on the risk of these particles began in 1993, following the publication of its work in the New England Journal of Medicine.

For 16 years, some 8,000 people were analyzed from the 6 most polluted cities in the United States and a direct relationship was discovered between premature death and the degree of pollution. The more microscopic particles in the air, the more likely juvenile death.

Since 1995, the American Cancer Society studied 550,000 more people for 7 years and, again, realized the strong relationship between the number of particles in the air and mortality. However, because other differences between cities could change mortality, the Massachusetts Health Effect has been reviewing all data for 3 years.

Dozens of explanations have been analyzed: educational level of the deceased, race, economic level, possibility of resorting to medical services, other pollutants, temperature, humidity... However, despite all these factors, the analyses confirm a direct relationship between the number of particles in the air and mortality.