Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/bGmAxYkLFr4   In the largest study of its kind just published in The New England Journal of Medicine, multinational public health researchers prove that even short term exposures to inhaled pollutants is associated with higher mortality rates.   The study looked some 652 urban areas in 24 countries and regions evaluating their air quality data and 30 year death rates due to cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems, and all-causes.  The results conclusively prove that higher concentrations of air pollutants is associated with elevated death rates in all categories.     How can you use this information?  When you look at the weather info on your phone, watch, or computer, focus on the air quality as well as the temperatures and rain probability.  On days where air quality is poor,  do avoid spending time outdoors. Spending more time in clean country air won’t kill you either.   Cong Liu, Renjie Chen, Francesco Sera, Ana M. Vicedo-Cabrera, etal. Ambient Particulate Air Pollution an