Analysis of the impact of fuel consumption on mortality rates in Sao Paulo

摘要

The paper examines the impact of fuel type on air pollution - and thereby on human health. It presents the results of a time series analysis relating the consumption of ethanol and fossil fuels and measures of air pollution with respiratory and cardiovascular mortality in elderly people in Sao Paulo for the period January 1991 to December 1994. The results of a linear regression analysis show a significant association between air pollution and mortality due to respiratory diseases; PM_(10) presented the highest association among the pollutants. Although the different temporal basis of the data on fuel consumption did not enable a direct association with daily mortality to be established, the results suggest that there is an indirect relationship between higher levels of ethanol and lower levels of both PM_(10) concentrations and mortality from respiratory diseases in elderly people.