Air Pollution and Daily Mortality in Urban Katowice, 1994-95 and 2001-02

A permanent improvement in ambient air quality in the Urban Area of Katowice over recent years could have resulted in a decreased risk of air pollution-related daily mortality. Our study investigates the risk associated with the levels of PM10 and SO2, obtained seven years apart (time-series analyses in 1994-95 and 200102). For both periods the acute mortality risk depends more on SO2 than on PM10 levels. The permanent improvement in ambient air pollution was associated with a decrease in relative risk of mortality, only for SO2 levels. For example, the magnitude of the total mortality relative risk related to a 10 μg/m increase in pollutant’s concentration (a 3-day moving average) was for SO2 1.019 (1.015-1.023) in 1994-95 and 1.012 (1.0051.019) in 2001-02, and for PM10 1.007 (1.004-1.011) in 1994-95 and 1.007 (1.003-1.011) in 2001-02.