title: The mortality impacts of fine particles in France.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Worldwide, air pollution has become a main environmental cause of premature mortality. This burden is largely due to fine particles. Recent cohort studies have confirmed the health risks associated with chronic exposure to PM2.5 for European and French populations. We assessed the mortality impact of PM2.5 in continental France using these new results.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on a meta-analysis of French and European cohorts, we computed a shrunken estimate of PM2.5-mortality relationship for the French population (RR 1.15 [1.05:1.25] for a 10μg/m(3) increase in PM2.5). This RR was applied to PM2.5 annual concentrations estimated at a fine spatial scale, using a classical health impacts assessment method. The health benefits associated with alternative scenarios of improving air quality were computed for 36,219 French municipalities for 2007-2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  9% of the total mortality in continental France is attributable to anthropogenic PM2.5. This represents >48,000 deaths per year, and 950,000years of life lost per year, more than half occurring in urban areas larger than 100,000 inhabitants. If none of the municipalities exceeded the World Health Organization guideline value for PM2.5 (10μg/m(3)), the total mortality could be decreased by 3%, corresponding to 400,000years of life saved per year.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results were consistent with previous estimates of the long-term mortality impacts of fine particles in France. These findings show that further actions to improve air quality in France would substantially improve health.
authors.affiliation: Santé publique France , French National Public Health Agency, Saint Maurice, France. Electronic address: m.pascal@invs.sante.fr.
authors.forename: Mathilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pascal
authors.affiliation: Santé publique France , French National Public Health Agency, Saint Maurice, France.
authors.forename: Perrine
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Crouy Chanel
authors.affiliation: Santé publique France , French National Public Health Agency, Saint Maurice, France.
authors.forename: Vérène
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Santé publique France , French National Public Health Agency, Saint Maurice, France.
authors.forename: Magali
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corso
authors.affiliation: Santé publique France, Cellule d'intervention en région (Cire) Bourgogne Franche-Comté, French National Public Health Agency, Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tillier
authors.affiliation: Santé publique France , French National Public Health Agency, Saint Maurice, France.
authors.forename: Malek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bentayeb
authors.affiliation: Santé publique France, Cellule d'intervention en région (Cire) Normandie, French National Public Health Agency, Rouen, France.
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blanchard
authors.affiliation: Santé publique France, Cellule d'intervention en région (Cire) Languedoc-Roussilon Midi-Pyrénées, French National Public Health Agency, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Amandine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cochet
authors.affiliation: Santé publique France, Cellule d'intervention en région (Cire) Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur, French National Public Health Agency, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pascal
authors.affiliation: Observatoire Régional de la Santé Ile de France, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Host
authors.affiliation: Santé publique France , French National Public Health Agency, Saint Maurice, France.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goria
authors.affiliation: Santé publique France , French National Public Health Agency, Saint Maurice, France.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Le Tertre
authors.affiliation: Santé publique France , French National Public Health Agency, Saint Maurice, France.
authors.forename: Edouard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chatignoux
authors.affiliation: Santé publique France , French National Public Health Agency, Saint Maurice, France.
authors.forename: Aymeric
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ung
authors.affiliation: Santé publique France , French National Public Health Agency, Saint Maurice, France.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Beaudeau
authors.affiliation: Santé publique France , French National Public Health Agency, Saint Maurice, France.
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Medina
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D061213:Mortality, Premature; D010316:Particle Size; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter
keywords: Air pollution; Fine particles; Health impact assessment; Mortality