From: harelb@math.cornell.edu (Harel Barzilai)
Subject: Background(2) to "EPA CONDEMNED By LUNG ASSOC. On OZONE"
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: daemon@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: ?
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 13:24:24 GMT


    "For every 100 microgram increase in total suspended particles
    (TSP) per cubic meter of air, Philadelphia death rates rose by 10
    percent among residents over age 65 and three percent in younger
    residents
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Topic 122       AIRBORNE PARTICLES KILL THOUSANDS 
alami   en.cleanair     12:50 pm  May 15, 1992 
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FROM THE PUBLICATION: "LUNGS AT WORK"  -- 
May/June, 1992 issue 
(a bimonthly publication of the American Lung Association 
national office) 
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STUDY:  POLLUTION KILLS THOUSANDS 

Air pollution at levels considered safe under federal law may in 
fact help to kill tens of thousands of Americans every year, 
according to a study published by the American Lung 
Association. 

"Almost any way we look at it, we see an effect with particles," 
said Douglas Dockery, Ph.D. of the American Thoracic Society, 
who wrote the study with Joel Schwartz, Ph.D., of the 
Environmental protection Agency. 

"Our findings suggest that current federal standards to protect the 
public from particulates must be reviewed." 

The study, which analyzed eight years of mortality and pollution 
data from Philadelphia, found that deaths increased in direct 
relation to levels of particulate air pollution.  Rising 
concentrations of airborne particles were especially dangerous to 
people over age 65 and those with lung or heart disease. 

"For people who are old or sick, particulate matter can be the 
straw that breaks the camel's back," says Dr. Schwartz. 

While studies have consistently shown that cities with higher 
pollution levels have higher age-adjusted mortality rates, this link 
has been questioned due to possible confounding variables, such 
as city to city differences in smoking rates and occupational 
risks.  By focusing on one city, the Philadelphia study sought to 
avoid such variables. 

"People's jobs and smoking habits don't change a lot between 
Monday and Wednesday," says Dr. Schwartz.  However, he said, 
the risk of dying does change from one day to the next, 
depending on the level of airborne particles. 

For every 100 microgram increase in total suspended particles 
(TSP) per cubic meter of air, Philadelphia death rates rose by 10 
percent among residents over age 65 and three percent in 
younger residents.  The strongest effects were seen on deaths 
from lung disease.  Each 100 microgram jump in TSP brought a 
19 percent increase in deaths from chronic obstructive 
pulmonary disease and an 11 percent rise in pneumonia deaths, 
along with a 10 percent increase in heart disease deaths. 

In an interview, Drs. Dockery and Schwartz said that their 
findings, when applied to national pollution data, suggest that 
airborne particles help to kill some 60,000 Americans annually.  
In some of these cases, pollution is merely the final blow that 
hastens an imminent death.  But Dr. Schwartz believes that, in 
many more cases, pollution is the difference between surviving a 
health crisis.  For evidence, he cites a Utah study, which found 
that deaths around a steel mill -- the largest local source of 
particles -- dropped by three percent the year the mill was 
closed. 

The Philadelphia study suggests that federal standards for 
particulate pollution are dangerously lax.  The standards, adopted 
in 1987, state that particles smaller than 10 microns in diameter 
must not exceed a level of 150 micrograms per cubic meter of 
air during any given 24 hour period.  However, the Philadelphia 
data show that death rates start to inch upward when particles 
reach levels as low as a third of the current standard. 


--------------------------- 

Article based on the following study: 

Schwartz J. Dockery, DW, Increased Mortality in Philadelphia 
Associated with Daily Air Pollution Concentrations.  American 
Review of Respiratory Disease 1992; 145:600-604 
Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive