title: [Development of criteria and identification of areas most hazardous for the health of the population due to chemicals present in the environment. I. Proposed criteria for choosing health indicators].
abstract: Factors of communal and occupational environments, and particularly exposure to chemicals, belong to major causes of spatial differentiation of health situation. The authors propose criteria for choosing of negative health indicators in order to identify areas most hazardous to the population health because of the presence of chemicals in the environment. Following the diagnostic indices of the environment pollution and measures based on them two areas were identified: A--areas of the greatest ecological hazard and B--the most clean area as a reference point for area A. For the chosen group of health indicators whose levels can be determined in both areas A and B, relative risk was developed. In order to choose health indicators essential in view of the environmental hazard, alternative criteria were proposed: an arbitrrarycriterion, a criterion based on confidence interval for relative risk, and a criterion based on ch2 statistics and on confidence interval for relative risk. Finally chosen indicators and synthetic measures based on them will provide the ground for a comprehensive analysis of spatially differentiated health situation because of the environment pollution with particular reference to chemical factors.
authors.affiliation: Z Instytutu Medycyny Pracy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Andryszek
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Indulski
mesh_terms: D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004463:Ecology; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011044:Poland; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D015386:Hazardous Substances