2. Methods
2.1. Study AreaPopulation
The study population was restricted to those who resided and were deceased in one of the sixty-two municipalities identified by the NJDEP as impacted by SO2 emissions from the Pennsylvania based power plants. The breakdown of the effected sixty-two municipalities included 22 in Warren County, 8 in Morris County, 16 in Sussex County and 16 in Hunterdon County. The residency and place of death requirements were enforced as to ensure that subjects’ acute SO2 and PM2.5 exposures took place within the proximity of the impacted areas. The study duration was limited to the air quality monitoring program’s implementation period, which extended from November 2002 to October 2005.
2.2. In order to better describe …show more content…
For this study, SO2 concentration data observed at the three air quality monitoring sites were obtained from the NJDEP. The air quality data provided by the NJDEP included hourly average ambient concentrations of SO2 in parts per billion (ppb) for all three sites, and in addition, hourly average concentrations measurements of ambient PM2.5 in μg/m3 were observed at the Belvidere site. Aside from hourly average measures, Ffive minutes ambient SO2 observationsobservations were carried out on days when one of the three monitors reported 5-minute SO2 concentrations above 300 ppbwere conducted at all three monitoring sites. Different spatiotemporal models, based on both hourly and five-minute air quality measurements, were constructed in order to estimate multiple SO2 and PM2.5 exposure metrics. The quantified exposure metrics included data based on both hourly and five-minute air quality …show more content…
The outcome assessment was limited to deaths that occurred at one of the sixty-two impacted municipalities during the air quality monitoring period of November 2002 through October 2005. The cause of death was indicated by the use of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), the 10th version (WHO | International Classification of Diseases (ICD), World Health Organization).. Deaths that resulted from accidental or assaultive incidents were excluded from the outcome assessment. The diagnoses of interest were: “all cause” (i.e. excluding accidental deaths), ICD-10 codes A00-R99; respiratory, codes J00-J99; circulatory, codes I00-I99; stroke, codes I60-I69; Influenza, pneumonia and COPD, codes J40-44 and
2.1. Study AreaPopulation
The study population was restricted to those who resided and were deceased in one of the sixty-two municipalities identified by the NJDEP as impacted by SO2 emissions from the Pennsylvania based power plants. The breakdown of the effected sixty-two municipalities included 22 in Warren County, 8 in Morris County, 16 in Sussex County and 16 in Hunterdon County. The residency and place of death requirements were enforced as to ensure that subjects’ acute SO2 and PM2.5 exposures took place within the proximity of the impacted areas. The study duration was limited to the air quality monitoring program’s implementation period, which extended from November 2002 to October 2005.
2.2. In order to better describe …show more content…
For this study, SO2 concentration data observed at the three air quality monitoring sites were obtained from the NJDEP. The air quality data provided by the NJDEP included hourly average ambient concentrations of SO2 in parts per billion (ppb) for all three sites, and in addition, hourly average concentrations measurements of ambient PM2.5 in μg/m3 were observed at the Belvidere site. Aside from hourly average measures, Ffive minutes ambient SO2 observationsobservations were carried out on days when one of the three monitors reported 5-minute SO2 concentrations above 300 ppbwere conducted at all three monitoring sites. Different spatiotemporal models, based on both hourly and five-minute air quality measurements, were constructed in order to estimate multiple SO2 and PM2.5 exposure metrics. The quantified exposure metrics included data based on both hourly and five-minute air quality …show more content…
The outcome assessment was limited to deaths that occurred at one of the sixty-two impacted municipalities during the air quality monitoring period of November 2002 through October 2005. The cause of death was indicated by the use of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), the 10th version (WHO | International Classification of Diseases (ICD), World Health Organization).. Deaths that resulted from accidental or assaultive incidents were excluded from the outcome assessment. The diagnoses of interest were: “all cause” (i.e. excluding accidental deaths), ICD-10 codes A00-R99; respiratory, codes J00-J99; circulatory, codes I00-I99; stroke, codes I60-I69; Influenza, pneumonia and COPD, codes J40-44 and