A Cross-Sectional Mortality Study Comparing the Use of Actual and Modeled Air Pollution Data

Dominika A. Dziegielewska, Robert Mendelsohn

University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/jep.2012.329128                

Abstract

Cohort epidemiological studies consistently agree that small particulates increase mortality, but they do not agree about the magnitude of this effect. As cohort studies have included observations from more places, they have found smaller effects. This study relies on a sophisticated air pollution model to predict pollution concentrations across all counties in the contiguous United States. We test whether examining all counties in the US affects the magnitude of the pollution mortality effect. We find significant but smaller effects. The results suggest that continued epidemiological research using a broader base of locations is needed.

Keywords

Chronic Mortality; Air Pollution; Particulate Matter

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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