Aim of this study was to determine the influence of road traffic on mortality for the area of Baden-Württemberg (Germany) in 1997. Of special interest was the impact of air pollution and road traffic accidents on life expectancy. Having the most pronounced effect on mortality particulate matter 10 (PM 10) was chosen for estimation of air pollution. Following the method described by Künzli et al. PM 10 concentration due to road traffic was estimated from total suspended particles to be 11.1 mg/m3 and relative risk (RR) of PM 10 on mortality be 1.044 (confidence interval 1.033-1.054) per 10 microg/m3 PM 10. 5216 (error range 3040-8892) premature deaths were calculated by life table analysis to be due to traffic. The vast majority (4325) were estimated to be a consequence of PM 10 pollution. The total influence on average life expectancy was 8.8 months (error range 6.0-13.7) with 5.5 months due to PM 10 and 3.3 months due to accidents. The effect of traffic accidents as well as PM 10 on mortality was higher for men than for women. It is concluded that road traffic has a strong influence on mortality. The most important impact of traffic on premature mortality is due to air pollution. While the risk of traffic accidents can, to a certain degree, be controlled individually, prevention of deaths due to air pollution requires general guidelines for emission of deleterious substances. (A)
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