2009/03/16 by Elizabeth Wilson · 1 citation
Environmental Science · #Air Quality and Health Impacts #Climate Change and Health Impacts
paper · doi:10.1021/cen-v087n011.p009a
openalex publication_date 2009/03/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Long-term exposure to ozone, a major pollutant related to the burning of fossil fuels, increases the risk of death from respiratory disease, a new study shows. In a mammoth analysis of data on 450,000 people in U.S. cities over an 18-year period, a team led by Michael Jerrett of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health found that those who live in areas with high ozone levels, such as Houston or Los Angeles, have a more than 30% greater annual risk of dying from lung disease ( N. Engl. J. Med. 2009, 360, 1085). Previous studies have linked shortterm ozone exposure to premature death ( C&EN Online Latest News, April 24, 2008). And long-term exposure to particulate pollution has been shown to increase the risk of death from both cardiovascular and respiratory problems. The new study is the first to quantify ozone’s long-term health effects. Stratospheric ozone protects Earth from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, ...