Science News - December 1, 2004

Quantitatively linking ozone and mortality

Even a parts-per-billion rise in ozone levels contributes to mortality and adverse health effects, according to research published in the November 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Ozone is a widespread environmental pollutant that aggravates the respiratory system and has been linked with increased rates of asthma and hospital visits. A 10-ppb growth from a previous week’s ozone level increases daily deaths by 0.52% and cardiovascular- and respiratory-related deaths by 0.64%. This rate equates to 3767 premature deaths annually, which the researchers believe may be an underestimation because the study did not account for long-term effects. The finding relied on data from the National Morbidity, Mortality, and Air Pollution Study, which was used to estimate the average number of deaths from short-term exposure to ozone in 95 U.S. cities from 1987 to 2000. (JAMA 2004, 292, 2372–2378)