Bart Ostro1, Aurelio Tobias2, Angeliki Karanasiou2, Evangelia Samoli3, Xavier Querol2, Sophia Rodopoulou3, Xavier Basagaña4, Kostas Eleftheriadis5, Evangelia Diapouli5, Stergios Vratolis5, Benedicte Jacquemin6, Klea Katsouyanni7, Jordi Sunyer8, Francesco Forastiere9, Massimo Stafoggia9. 1. Air Pollution Epidemiology Section, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, CAL EPA, Oakland, California, USA Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Barcelona, Spain. 2. Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain. 3. Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece. 4. Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Barcelona, Spain Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain. 5. ERL, Institute of Nuclear and Radiological Science & Technology, Energy & Safety N.C.S.R. Demokritos, Athens, Greece. 6. Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Barcelona, Spain Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health, INSERM & UMRS, Villejuif, France. 7. Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece Department of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences, King's College, London, UK. 8. Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Barcelona, Spain. 9. Department of Epidemiology Lazio Region, Rome, Italy.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: While several studies have reported associations of daily exposures to PM2.5 (particles less than 2.5 µm) with mortality, few studies have examined the impact of its constituents such as black carbon (BC), which is also a significant contributor to global climate change. METHODS: We assessed the association between daily concentrations of BC and total, cardiovascular and respiratory mortality in two southern Mediterranean cities. Daily averages of BC were collected for 2 years in Barcelona, Spain and Athens, Greece. We used case-crossover analysis and examined single and cumulative lags up to 3 days. RESULTS: We observed associations between BC and all mortality measures. For a 3-day moving average, cardiovascular mortality increased by 4.5% (95% CI 0.7 to 8.5) and 2.0% (95% CI 0 to 4.0) for an interquartile change in BC in Athens and Barcelona, respectively. Considerably higher effects for respiratory mortality and for those above age 65 were observed. In addition, BC exhibited much greater toxicity per microgram than generic PM2.5. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that BC, derived in western industrialised nations primarily from diesel engines and biomass burning, poses a significant burden to public health, particularly in European cities with high-traffic density. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.
OBJECTIVES: While several studies have reported associations of daily exposures to PM2.5 (particles less than 2.5 µm) with mortality, few studies have examined the impact of its constituents such as black carbon (BC), which is also a significant contributor to global climate change. METHODS: We assessed the association between daily concentrations of BC and total, cardiovascular and respiratory mortality in two southern Mediterranean cities. Daily averages of BC were collected for 2 years in Barcelona, Spain and Athens, Greece. We used case-crossover analysis and examined single and cumulative lags up to 3 days. RESULTS: We observed associations between BC and all mortality measures. For a 3-day moving average, cardiovascular mortality increased by 4.5% (95% CI 0.7 to 8.5) and 2.0% (95% CI 0 to 4.0) for an interquartile change in BC in Athens and Barcelona, respectively. Considerably higher effects for respiratory mortality and for those above age 65 were observed. In addition, BC exhibited much greater toxicity per microgram than generic PM2.5. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that BC, derived in western industrialised nations primarily from diesel engines and biomass burning, poses a significant burden to public health, particularly in European cities with high-traffic density. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.
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