PARTICULATE MATTER AND HUMAN HEALTH IN THE UNITED-KINGDOM

Using epidemiological meta studies for the health impacts of small par ticulate matter - PM(10) - it is possible to predict the number of pre mature deaths and some morbidity impacts in the UK from prevailing amb ient concentrations. The analysis suggests that as many as 12 000 deat hs might be attributed to total concentrations, or perhaps 7000 deaths if only 'anthropogenic' PM(10) is included. The nature of these prema ture deaths is unclear. They are almost certainly among the older popu lation so that foreshortened lives may be measured in days, months or years. Morbidity effects can similarly be estimated, the main ones of policy concern being chronic bronchitis and 'restricted activity days' . Unit economic values are applied to these health impacts in order to 'collapse' different impacts into a common unit. The end result is a premature mortality cost of about pound 11.1 billion (urban plus rural exposure) and a further pound 6.3 billion for urban morbidity. Copyri ght (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.