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<p>Estimates of the fraction of mortality in English local authority areas and regions
in 2010 and 2011 attributable to long-term exposure to particulate air pollution arising
from human activities are published by Public Health England (PHE) as one of the indicators
in the Department of Health's Public Health Outcomes Framework. For Portsmouth Unitary
Authority this figure was 5.9% in both 2010 and 2011; for Hampshire County Council
this figure was 5.3% in 2010 and 5.4% in 2011; and for the South East this figure
was 5.5% in both 2010 and 2011.</p><p> </p><p>PHE has also published mortality estimates
for 2010 as attributable deaths[1] and associated years of life lost. The estimated
mortality burdens attributable to long-term exposure to particulate air pollution
arising from human activities were: 95 attributable deaths and 1059 associated years
of life lost in Portsmouth Unitary Authority; 601 attributable deaths and 6211 associated
years of life lost in Hampshire County Council; and 4,034 attributable deaths and
41,729 associated years of life lost in the South East.</p><p> </p><p>[1] The ‘number
of deaths' attributable to a risk factor is a metric which is widely used in communicating
about public health risks. Nonetheless, a calculated figure of ‘attributable deaths'
does not represent the number of individuals whose length of life has been shortened
by air pollution. Long-term exposure to air pollution is understood to be a contributory
factor to deaths from respiratory and, particularly, cardiovascular disease, ie unlikely
to be the sole cause of deaths of individuals. This means that it is likely that air
pollution contributes a smaller amount to the deaths of a larger number of exposed
individuals rather than being solely responsible for a number of deaths equivalent
to the calculated figure of ‘attributable deaths'. The distribution of the mortality
effect within the population is unknown.</p><p> </p>
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