Air pollution and mortality in a University of Michigan amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cohort: a survival analysis

For Public Health

At a glance

A study looking at how air pollution effect ALS mortality
Image of the first two pages of a scientific paper

Affiliates

Meredith Pedde1, Sara D. Adar1, Dae-Gyu Jang2, Eva L. Feldman2, Stephen A. Goutman2

  1. Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
  2. Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Journal

Environmental Health

Summary

This study looked at whether air pollution affects how long people with ALS (a serious nerve disease) live. Researchers followed patients over time and estimated the level of pollution around where they lived, focusing especially on tiny particles in the air called PM2.5. They found that people exposed to higher levels of these particles had a higher risk of dying sooner than those with lower exposure. Other common air pollutants didn’t show a clear link. Overall, the findings suggest that cleaner air—particularly lower levels of fine particle pollution—might help people with ALS live longer, making air quality an important factor that could potentially be improved.

Link to Paper

Read the full paper here!

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Content Source:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry