MORTALITY VS. VISIBILITY
A model has been developed to depict the estimated increase in the mortality rate as a function of the decrease in visibility, and the results of this model in a graphical form are shown in this paper. It can be observed that mortality increases as visibility decreases, and that the effect is highly significant. This model does not consider the additional negative health effects that occur from the toxic nature of particulate matter. The American Heart Association establishes that an increase in the density of particulate matter will cause an increase in mortality. The expected increase is expressed in a differential form of an increase of 1% mortality of an increase of 10ug (micrograms) per cubic meter. Readers may want to also read the previous Carnicom paper related to this issue titled ’BARIUM TESTS ARE POSITIVE’ (dated May 24, 2004).
