[Daily mortality and air pollution in the northern Czech Republic]

Several studies have demonstrated that the increase of air pollutants is related to the increase of the diurnal mortality. The aim of the work was to find correlation among the diurnal mortality and changes in the concentration of SO2, total suspended particles (TSP), and dust particles with aerodynamic diameter smaller than 10 microns (PM10) and smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) in the external air of the North Bohemian brown-coal basin.

All that died in 1982-1994 in coal-basin districts of the North Bohemia region were included into the data set. Method of long time series and the model of logistic regression were applied with correction to long-term trends, seasons, respiratory diseases and meteorological condition. Investigating the described relation regardless to age and sex, the increase of TSP by 100 micrograms/m3 was connected with significant increase of the total diurnal mortality by 3.4%. Significant differences between males and females were found. Meanwhile the mortality of males younger than 65 years increased, that of equally old females decreased. Contrary to it, in population of females older than 65 mortality increased and that males significantly decreased.

Monitoring of the diurnal mortality and air pollution in relation to the sex reveals important for the identification of sensitive and vulnerable population subgroups. Illogic and difficult to explain is the decrease of mortality in conditions of increased air pollutants. Authors recommend repeating the analysis also in different epidemiological studies in order to distinguish whether the presented results are accidental or have a more general significance.