Associations between mortality and air pollution in Central Europe

Increased mortality has been observed in association with elevated concentr ations of air pollutants in European cities and in the United States. We re assessed the effects of particulate matter in Central Europe. Mortality and air pollution data were obtained for a highly polluted region of the Czech Republic and a rural region in Germany. Poisson regression analyses were c onducted considering trend, season, meteorology, and influenza epidemics as confounders in both a parametric and a nonparametric approach. The Czech R epublic had a 3.8% increase in mortality [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.8 -6.9%] in association with 100 mu g/m(3) total suspended particles (TSP) (l agged 2 days) for the time period 1982-1994. During the last 2 years of stu dy, 68% of the TSP consisted of particulate matter less than or equal to 10 mu m in aerodynamic diameter (PM10) An increase of 100 mu g/m(3) TSP (lagg ed 1 day) was associated with a 9.5% increase in mortality (CI, 1.2-18.5%) and 100 mu g/m(3) PM10 (lagged 1 day) showed a 9.8% increase in mortality ( CI, 0.7-19.7%). We found no evidence for an association between mortality a nd particulate matter in the rural area in Germany at the Czech border. Dat a from the coal basin in the Czech Republic suggested an increase in mortal ity associated with the concentration of particulate matter in a highly pol luted setting in Central Europe that is consistent with the associations ob served in other western European cities and in the United States.