Is particulate air pollution associated with health and health inequalities in New Zealand?

Air pollution can increase mortality risk and may also exacerbate socioeconomic inequalities in health outcomes. This New Zealand study investigated whether exposure to particulate air pollution (PM(10)) was associated with mortality and health inequalities. Annual mean PM(10) estimates for urban Census Area Units (CAUs) were linked to cause-specific mortality data. A dose-response relationship was found between PM(10) and respiratory disease mortality, including at concentrations below the existing annual average guideline value of 20μgm(-3). Establishing and enforcing a lower guideline value is likely to have population health benefits. However, socioeconomic inequalities in respiratory disease mortality were not significantly elevated with PM(10) exposure.