Abstract:
Backgrounds. Several studies have demonstrated that the increase of air pollutants is related to the increase of
the diurnal mortality. The aim of the work was to find correlation among the diurnal mortality and changes in the
concentration of SO2, total suspended particles (TSP), and dust particles with aerodynamic diameter smaller than
10 mm (PM10) and smaller than 2,5 mm (PM2,5) in the external air of the North Bohemian brown-coal basin.
Methods and Results. All that died in 1982-1994 in coal-basin districts of the North Bohemia region were included
into the data set. Method of long time series and the model of logistic regression were applied with correction to
long-term trends, seasons, respiratory diseases and meteorological condition. Investigating the described relation
regardless to age and sex, the increase of TSP by 100 mg/m
3
was connected with significant increase of the total
diurnal mortality by 3.4 %. Significant differences between males and females were found. Meanwhile the mortality
of males younger than 65 years increased, that of equally old females decreased. Contrary to it, in population of
females older than 65 mortality increased and that males significantly decreased.
Conclusion. Monitoring of the diurnal mortality and air pollution in relation to the sex reveals important for the
identification of sensitive and vulnerable population subgroups. Illogic and difficult to explain is the decrease of
mortality in conditions of increased air pollutants. Authors recommend repeating the analysis also in different
epidemiological studies in order to distinguish whether the presented results are accidental or have a more general
significance.
Key words:
air pollution, diurnal mortality, sulfur oxides, volatile dust particles.
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