TINY PARTICLES LINKED TO DEATH

Abstract

LONG-TERM EXPOSURE TO tiny particles of soot and sulfur oxides (SO x ) are linked to death from heart disease and lung researchers reported last week{ F.Am.Med.Assoc. , 287,1132 (2002)}. Called fine particulates, the tiny bits of soot and SO x are less than 2.5 µm in size. These pollutants stem from the combustion of fossil fuels, notably in coal-fired power plants, manufacturing facilities, and automobiles. This study provides the most definitive epidemiological evidence to date that long-term exposure to air pollution in the U.S. is associated with lung cancer, says study coleader George D. Thurston, associate professor of environmental medicine at Newark University School of Medicine. For every 10 µg of fine particulates per m 3 of air, the risk of lung cancer deaths went up 8%, cardiopulmonary deaths rose 6%, and all deaths increased by 4%, the researchers found. The EPA national standard for fine particulates, set in 1997, is 15 µg per m 3 as an annual average. ...