[Air pollution and sudden infant death in Graz 1982 to 1987]

We correlated the incidence of the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and the degree of air pollution in each district of Graz over a time period of five years. The degree of air pollution was derived from a mapping of epiphytical lichen vegetation by Grill et al. (1988). We found an increased incidence of SIDS in districts with poor air quality. Although this result is not statistically significant a possible increase in SIDS risk because of air pollution cannot be excluded. Some pathophysiological explanations are discussed.