Brute force epidemiology to the rescue Yet more bad news The Six Cities study is hardly the only warning flag emerging from the recent study of fine particle pollution.
Air pollution raises the risk of death and disease.
People exposed to both pollutants die at a higher rate than unexposed people. This is not surprising, since they both usually originate in burning fossil fuels, and are usually found in combination. While sulfates were linked with increased rates of lung cancer, particulates were linked with an increase in all deaths. Especially in the elderly, the differentiation between cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease as a cause of death is very poor. Many of the victims arrive dead at the hospital, and the cause of death may be listed as heart attack with no mention on the death certificate of any contribution from lung disease or air pollution.