| Abstract |
The major objective of this study is to answer the questions, Is a recent mortality decline in the city of Chicago caused by a decrease in the amount of major air pollutants such as suspended particulate and sulfur dioxide. Based on multiple regression analysis for the cross-sectional analysis, a percentage decrease in the age-adjusted death rates was estimated when a 25 percent reduction in TSP in Chicago for the period 1970-1975, was applied to the models developed. The age-adjusted death rate for non-accidental causes would be decreased by 5.36 percent (54.65 deaths per 100,000 persons) in Chicago. A percentage decrease in the death rates by cause was estimated to be 8.82 percent (all heart diseases), 6.42 percent (ischemic heart disease), 16.95 percent (other heart disease), 9.39 percent (diabetes mellitus), 20.13 percent (cirrhosis of the liver), 26.16 percent (emphysema) and 6.47 percent (other non-accidental causes). Models developed in daily analysis imply that there would be possible acute effects of daily air pollution concentrations (both SO2 and TSP, in addition to their interaction) on daily mortality changes (both all non-accidental causes and heart diseaes), controlling for weather and day-of-week effects. |
