Air Pollution and Mortality in East Berlin during the Winters of 1981–1989

• Published in: International journal of epidemiology Vol. 25; no. 6; pp. 1220 - 1226
• Main Authors: RAHLENBECK, SIBYLLE I, KAHL, HERMANN
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.12.1996
• Subjects: air pollutants; Air Pollutants - adverse effects; air pollution; Air Pollution - adverse effects; Air. Soil. Water. Waste. Feeding; Berlin - epidemiology; Biological and medical sciences; Environment. Living conditions; Germany, East - epidemiology; Health Status Indicators; Humans; Medical Records; Medical sciences; Mortality; particulates; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Seasons; Sulfur Dioxide - adverse effects; sulphur dioxide; Europe; Germany; East Berlin; Germany, East; Berlin; Human; Pollution; Health and environment; Winter; Toxicity; Mortality; Risk factor; Air; Epidemiology; Public health; Sulfur dioxide; 1980-1990
• ISSN: 0300-5771; 1464-3685
• DOI: 10.1093/ije/25.6.1220

Rahtenbeck S I (Gondar College of Medical Sciences, PO Box 196, Gondar, Ethiopia), Kahl H. Air pollution and mortality in East Berlin during the winters of 1981–1989. International Journal of Epidemiology 1996; 25: 1220–1226. Background The relationship between air pollution and mortality in East Berlin was examined for the winters of 1981–1989. Methods Regression analysis included daily mean levels of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and suspended particulates (SP), and was controlled for temperature, humidity, week-day, month, and year. Moving averages of previous pollution were also used. Results Each pollutant was a significant contributor to excess mortality. The strongest association was found for mortality lagged for 2 days, which depended significantly on the level of SP (β for In SP = 0.876; P = 0 008) and SO2 (β for In SO2 = 0.635; P = 0.012), when regressed separately. When omitting days with pollutant concentrations above 150 μg m−3, the pollutant-mortality relationship was linear, and a 100 μg m−3 increase was associated with a 6.1% (SP) and 4.5% (SO2) mortality increase 2 days later, when pollutants were considered separately; this was reduced to 4.6% (SP) and 2.8% (SO2) increase, when both were considered simultaneously. Conclusions The results show that short-term associations between air pollutants and mortality in East Berlin did exist during the winters 1981–1989. Since the coefficients for SP and SO2 dropped when controlling for the other pollutant species, a similar strength of association with mortality for both pollutant was found.