Is particulate air pollution associated with health and health inequalities in New Zealand?

Elizabeth A Richardson; Jamie Pearce; Simon Kingham

doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2011.05.007

Is particulate air pollution associated with health and health inequalities in New Zealand?

Health Place. 2011 Sep;17(5):1137-43. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2011.05.007. Epub 2011 May 20.

Authors

Elizabeth A Richardson¹, Jamie Pearce, Simon Kingham

Affiliation

¹ School of GeoSciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XP, UK. [email protected]

PMID: 21621448
DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2011.05.007

Abstract

Air pollution can increase mortality risk and may also exacerbate socioeconomic inequalities in health outcomes. This New Zealand study investigated whether exposure to particulate air pollution (PM(10)) was associated with mortality and health inequalities. Annual mean PM(10) estimates for urban Census Area Units (CAUs) were linked to cause-specific mortality data. A dose-response relationship was found between PM(10) and respiratory disease mortality, including at concentrations below the existing annual average guideline value of 20μgm(-3). Establishing and enforcing a lower guideline value is likely to have population health benefits. However, socioeconomic inequalities in respiratory disease mortality were not significantly elevated with PM(10) exposure.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants / adverse effects*
Environmental Exposure / adverse effects
Health Status Disparities*
Humans
Mortality / trends
New Zealand / epidemiology
Social Class

Substances

Air Pollutants