Reports the results of a large study, including more than 60 million Medicare beneficiaries from the years 2000 through 2012, that addresses the association between annual average levels of PM2.5 and ozone,9 as measured at the ZIP Code level, and mortality. For every increase of 10 μg per cubic meter in PM2.5, there was an associated 7.3% increase in all-cause mortality (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.1 to 7.5), after adjustment for demographic characteristics, Medicaid eligibility, and area-level covariates. Below the current NAAQS for PM2.5 of 12 μg per cubic meter, the data showed that each increase in PM2.5 of 10 μg per cubic meter was associated with an even greater increase (13.6%) in mortality (95% CI, 13.1 to 14.1). There was no appreciable level below which the risk of death tapered off — and thus no “safe” level of PM2.5. Owing to the large size of the cohort, Di et al. were able to perform robust subgroup analyses and identified greater risks of death associated with air pollutants among blacks and Medicaid-eligible populations; moreover, these groups were more likely to be exposed to higher pollutant levels.

Published Jun 29, 2017

Berger, R. E., Ramaswami, R., Solomon, C. G., & Drazen, J. M. (2017). Air pollution still kills. New England Journal of Medicine, 376(26), 2591–2592. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMe1706865