To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Air Pollution Linked to Infant Death, Including 'SIDS,' New Study Reports URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/2C4B2.htm Doctor's Guide June 11, 1997
WASHINGTON -- June 11, 1997 -- Industrial air pollution appears linked to death among infants, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), a new study concludes. Federal researchers found that infants in areas with higher levels of industrial soot were 40 percent more likely to die from respiratory failure than children who lived in areas with cleaner air. Infants were 26 percent more likely to die from SIDS. Infant mortality generally was higher in areas with higher pollution levels. Increased mortality occurred even in communities that meet existing federal clean air standards. Previous studies have linked air pollution to premature death among adults. But the researchers noted, "To our knowledge, this is the first study to concentrate on the relationship between air quality and infant mortality in the United States." The researchers from EPA, the National Center for Health Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed the health records of nearly four million children born between 1989 and 1991 in 86 specific metropolitan areas. Among the cities studied were Chicago, Cleveland, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Atlanta, Nashville, Cincinnati and Detroit. The researchers examined infants in the "postneonatal" stage (over 27 days old) because postneonatal death is thought to be more influenced by an infant's external environment than is mortality earlier in infancy. Their analysis showed a "significant relationship" between soot levels and SIDS among normal birth weight infants. The overall infant mortality rate was 10% higher among children exposed to higher soot levels after other factors were considered. "While further examination of this association is needed," the researchers said, "the results of this study, combined with results from studies examining air pollution and morbidity among children, suggest that continued attention must be paid to the nation's air quality to ensure the optimal health of infants and children." The study will appear this month in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, published by the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.