Is long-term exposure to traffic pollution associated with mortality? A small-area study in London

TY - JOUR

T1 - Is long-term exposure to traffic pollution associated with mortality? A small-area study in London

AU - Halonen, Jaana I.

AU - Blangiardo, Marta

AU - Toledano, Mireille B.

AU - Fecht, Daniela

AU - Gulliver, John

AU - Ghosh, Rebecca

AU - Anderson, H. Ross

AU - Beevers, Sean D.

AU - Dajnak, David

AU - Kelly, Frank J.

AU - Wilkinson, Paul

AU - Tonne, Cathryn

PY - 2016/1

Y1 - 2016/1

N2 - Long-term exposure to primary traffic pollutants may be harmful for health but few studies have investigated effects on mortality. We examined associations for six primary traffic pollutants with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in 2003-2010 at small-area level using linear and piecewise linear Poisson regression models. In linear models most pollutants showed negative or null association with all-cause, cardiovascular or respiratory mortality. In the piecewise models we observed positive associations in the lowest exposure range (e.g. relative risk (RR) for all-cause mortality 1.07 (95% credible interval (CI)=1.00-1.15) per 0.15μg/m3 increase in exhaust related primary particulate matter ≤2.5μm (PM2.5)) whereas associations in the highest exposure range were negative (corresponding RR 0.93, 95% CI: 0.91-0.96). Overall, there was only weak evidence of positive associations with mortality. That we found the strongest positive associations in the lowest exposure group may reflect residual confounding by unmeasured confounders that varies by exposure group.

AB - Long-term exposure to primary traffic pollutants may be harmful for health but few studies have investigated effects on mortality. We examined associations for six primary traffic pollutants with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in 2003-2010 at small-area level using linear and piecewise linear Poisson regression models. In linear models most pollutants showed negative or null association with all-cause, cardiovascular or respiratory mortality. In the piecewise models we observed positive associations in the lowest exposure range (e.g. relative risk (RR) for all-cause mortality 1.07 (95% credible interval (CI)=1.00-1.15) per 0.15μg/m3 increase in exhaust related primary particulate matter ≤2.5μm (PM2.5)) whereas associations in the highest exposure range were negative (corresponding RR 0.93, 95% CI: 0.91-0.96). Overall, there was only weak evidence of positive associations with mortality. That we found the strongest positive associations in the lowest exposure group may reflect residual confounding by unmeasured confounders that varies by exposure group.

KW - Epidemiology

KW - Mortality

KW - Small-area

KW - Traffic pollution

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84935439017&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.06.036

DO - 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.06.036

M3 - Article

C2 - 26160423

AN - SCOPUS:84958912798

SN - 0269-7491

VL - 208

SP - 25

EP - 32

JO - ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

JF - ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

IS - A

ER -