[The short-term effects of air pollution on mortality: the results of the EMECAM project in 2 cities of Asturias. Estudio Multicéntrico Español sobre la Relación entre la Contaminación Atmosférica y la Mortalidad].
BACKGROUND
The studies conducted to date regarding the possibility that air pollutants, at levels considered safe to date, are capable of having impact are capable of having impact on human health have not led to homogeneous findings. This study is aimed at estimating the degrees of relationship between the daily levels of the pollutants and the death rate on a short-terms basis in the two most populated cities in Austria (Gijón and Oviedo), as well as contributing to increasing the statistical importance and the representative nature of the EMECAM Project, within which this study is comprised.


METHODS
Ecological time series study, Estimate of degrees of group exposure based on the readings taken at the pollution control stations. Modeling of the death rate series, including control variables, by means of Poisson regression. Estimating risks related to each pollutant for the death rate, controlling the series-based autocorrelation.


RESULTS
Throughout the 1993-1996 period, the pollution by means of particles in suspension and CO was greater in Gijón, that involving SO2 and NO2 having been greater in Oviedo. In these two cities, the levels can be considered to be low and to fall within what is considered admissible under the laws currently in impact. Most of the relative risk forecasts neared the zero impact point, although significant positive (especially for NO2) as well as negative relationships have been found to exist. The significant relationships found were not proven to be consistent in these two cities for the periods studied.


CONCLUSIONS
Based on the findings of this study, the conclusion cannot be drawn that a clear-cut relationship exists between the pollutants studied (particles, SO2, NO2, CO) and the death rate on a short-term basis, at least at the levels detected in Gijón and Oviedo.
Cañada Martínez
A
A
Dirección Regional de Salud Pública, Consejería de Servicios Sociales del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo. alvarocm@salud.asturias.org
García González
J V
JV
Rodríguez Suárez
V
V
Fernández Noval
F
F
Fernández Rodríguez
C
C
Huerta González
I
I
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004463:Ecology; D006801:Humans; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D000393:Air Pollutants
Efectos a corto plazo de la contaminación atmosférica sobre la mortalidad: resultados del proyecto EMECAM en dos ciudades de Asturias.