title: Risk assessment for cardiovascular and respiratory mortality due to air pollution and synoptic meteorology in 10 Canadian cities.
abstract: Synoptic weather and ambient air quality synergistically influence human health. We report the relative risk of mortality from all non-accidental, respiratory-, and cardiovascular-related causes, associated with exposure to four air pollutants, by weather type and season, in 10 major Canadian cities for 1981 through 1999. We conducted this multi-city time-series study using Poisson generalized linear models stratified by season and each of six distinctive synoptic weather types. Statistically significant relationships of mortality due to short-term exposure to carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and ozone were found, with significant modifications of risk by weather type, season, and mortality cause. In total, 61% of the respiratory-related mortality relative risk estimates were significantly higher than for cardiovascular-related mortality. The combined effect of weather and air pollution is greatest when tropical-type weather is present in the spring or summer.
authors.affiliation: Health Canada, Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Population Studies Division, 50 Columbine Driveway, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada; Department of Geosciences, Texas Tech University, 2500 Broadway, St. Lubbock, TX 79401, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Vanos
authors.affiliation: Health Canada, Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Population Studies Division, 50 Columbine Driveway, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hebbern
authors.affiliation: Health Canada, Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Population Studies Division, 50 Columbine Driveway, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada. Electronic address: sabit_cakmak@hc-sc.gc.ca.
authors.forename: Sabit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cakmak
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000032:analysis; D002947:Cities / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D055904:Meteorology; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide / Q000032:analysis; D010126:Ozone / Q000032:analysis; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012621:Seasons; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide / Q000032:analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D014887:Weather
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide; D010126:Ozone; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide
keywords: Air pollution; Cardiovascular; Mortality; Relative risk; Respiratory; Spatial synoptic classification