Philadelphia, PA, March 13, 2024

A newly published study from the SALURBAL group, “Short-term associations between fine particulate air pollution and cardiovascular and respiratory mortality in 337 cities in Latin America,” finds that increases in fine particulate air pollution (also called PM2.5) were associated with increases in death from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases among adults in 337 cities across nine countries in Latin America.

Although the health effects of air pollution are well known, this is one of the first studies to focus on Latin American cities, which have relatively high levels of air pollution and few policies in place to control this pollution. The study was published in Science of The Total Environment and is available for free under Open Access.

Dr. Nelson Gouveia of the Universidade de São Paulo led this study, which included data on mortality for people aged 20 and older and monthly PM2.5 levels between the years 2009 and 2015.

The association between air pollution and risk of death from cardiovascular and respiratory disease was stronger with increased age. Specifically, adults aged 60 and older and males in this age group experienced the highest increase in risk of death from air pollution.

Read the full news story on the Drexel Urban Health Collaborative's website:

New Study Connects Air Pollution to Increased Death Rates in Latin American Cities