Breath-taking
Premature Mortality Due to Particulate Air Pollution in 239 American Cities


This material is from the May 1996 report from the Natural Resources Defense Council, by Deborah Sheiman Shprentz. See also the addendum.


Guide to Mortality and Pollution Tables

The Breath-taking report estimates that approximately 64,000 premature deaths from cardiopulmonary causes may be attributable to particulate air pollution each year. The tables listed below detail those findings.


Top 50 Metropolitan Statistical Areas

These tables consider MSA's ranked by average annual mean PM-10 concentration, by number of premature deaths attributable to particulate air pollution, and by number of premature deaths per 100,000 population attributable to particulate air pollution. Each table identifies the top 50 MSA's of the 239 MSA's for which we have data.


Top 50 Hot Spots in Metropolitan Statistical Areas

These tables consider individual monitoring stations within MSA's ranked by annual average and 24-hour PM-10 concentration. Each table identifies the top 50 monitoring stations of the 943 stations for which data were available.


Particulate Air Pollution Attributable Mortality

These tables show PM-10 concentration and NRDC's estimate of air pollution attributable deaths within Metropolitan Statistical Areas in each state.

AlabamaKentuckyNorth Dakota
AlaskaLouisianaOhio
ArizonaMaineOklahoma
ArkansasMarylandOregon
CaliforniaMassachusettsPennsylvania
ColoradoMichiganRhode Island
ConnecticutMinnesotaSouth Carolina
DelawareMississippiSouth Dakota
District of ColumbiaMissouriTennessee
FloridaMontanaTexas
GeorgiaNebraskaUtah
HawaiiNevadaVermont
IdahoNew HampshireVirginia
IllinoisNew JerseyWashington
IndianaNew MexicoWest Virginia
IowaNew YorkWisconsin
KansasNorth CarolinaWyoming


For printed copies of this report, please send $5.00 plus $3.95 shipping and handling to: NRDC Publications Department, 40 West 20 Street, New York, NY 10011. California residents must add 7.25% sales tax. Please make checks payable to NRDC in U.S. dollars only.


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