[Possible use of public mortality data from Spanish National Institute of Statistics database to study how air pollutants may impact mortality rates in Spain].

OBJECTIVE: Relationship between NO2, SO2, CO, PM2,5, PM10, COVNM (non-methane volatile organic compounds) and all-cause mortality or myocardial ischaemic mortality has been thoroughly studied. Levels of such pollutants have been reduced according to World Health Organization guidelines with no follow-up of their impact on mortality rates. Our goal was to explore the relationship between air pollutants and all-cause/myocardial ischaemic mortality.

METHODS: A descriptive longitudinal ecological study was carried out to compare National Institute of Statistics mortality rates, both all-cause and myocardial ischaemic deaths, as a whole, separated by sexes and age ranges to air pollutants brute emissions and average PM10 and PM2,5 concentrations nation-wide from 2000 to 2021, using lineal o logarithmic regression and multiple lineal regression.

RESULTS: All-cause mortality showed low correlation and regression with air pollutants except when studied by age-ranges. Myocardial ischaemic mortality did show significant correlation (coefficients over 0,7) and regression, as a whole, and while disgregated by sexes or ages. There is high correlation and confusion among the air pollutants, but no interactions were detected. R2 was higher in all-cause mortality for men and young ones; in myocardial ischaemic mortality, for women and age gap from sixty-seventy-nine. Most relevant air pollutants changed for different age-gaps.

CONCLUSIONS: The study shows relationship between mortality and air pollutants, overestimating their importance according to previous research. Data referred to specific entities or different age-gaps were more accurate. Using data on shorter time-lapses and areas would increase precission.