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PM2.5 pollution in Texas: a geospatial analysis of health impact functions
Bryan Luke, Landrigan Philip. Frontiers in public health, 2023-12-18
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Air pollution is the greatest environmental threat to human health in the world today and is responsible for an estimated 7-9 million deaths annually. One of the most damaging air pollutants is PM2.5 pollution, fine airborne particulate matter under 2.5 microns in diameter. Exposure to PM2.5 pollution can cause premature death, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, diabetes, asthma, low birthweight, and IQ loss. To avoid these adverse health effects, the WHO recommends that PM2.5 levels not exceed 5 μg/m3. This study estimates the negative health impacts of PM2.5 pollution in Texas in 2016. Local exposure estimates were calculated at the census tract level using the EPA's BenMAP-CE software. In BenMAP, a variety of exposure-response functions combine air pollution exposure data with population data and county-level disease and death data to estimate the number of health effects attributable to PM2.5 pollution for each census tract. The health effects investigated were mortality, low birthweight, stroke, new onset asthma, new onset Alzheimer's, and non-fatal lung cancer. This study found that approximately 26.7 million (98.9%) of the 27.0 million people living in Texas in 2016 resided in areas where PM2.5 concentrations were above the WHO recommendation of 5 μg/m3, and that 2.6 million people (9.8%) lived in areas where the average PM2.5 concentration exceeded 10 μg/m3. This study estimates that there were 8,405 (confidence interval [CI], 5,674-11,033) premature deaths due to PM2.5 pollution in Texas in 2016, comprising 4.3% of all deaths. Statewide increases in air-pollution-related morbidity and mortality were seen for stroke (2,209 - CI: [576, 3,776]), low birthweight (2,841 - CI: [1,696, 3,925]), non-fatal lung cancers (636 - CI: [219, 980]), new onset Alzheimer's disease (24,575 - CI: [20,800, 27,540]), and new onset asthma (7,823 - CI: [7,557, 8,079]). This study found that air pollution poses significant risks to the health of Texans, despite the fact that pollution levels across most of the state comply with the EPA standard for PM2.5 pollution of 12 μg/m3. Improving air quality in Texas could save thousands of lives from disease, disability, and premature death.
Key findings
- This study found that air pollution poses significant risks to the health of Texans, despite the fact that pollution levels across most of the state comply with the EPA standard for PM2.5 pollution of 12 μg/m3.
Why it matters
Using EPA modelling software, this study estimated that fine-particle air pollution (PM2.5) in Texas in 2016 was linked to about 8,405 premature deaths and 24,575 new cases of Alzheimer's disease, even though most of the state met the EPA's 12 μg/m3 standard; 98.9% of Texans lived where levels exceeded the WHO's 5 μg/m3 recommendation. These figures are calculated from assumed pollution–disease relationships, not counted in patients, so they do not show that pollution causes Alzheimer's or that cleaner air would prevent it.
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Study details
- Effect size98.9%; 9.8%; 4.3%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 42/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Frontiers in public health) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Frontiers in Public Health: journal h-index 174 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2023 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 13 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-17) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.6 citations a year over 5 year(s) since 2023 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 1.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 5 / 6 | Cited by 148 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 13 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Philip J. Landrigan: h-index 89 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Boston College: institution h-index 603 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 38106908) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 42 / 100 | — |
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
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APA 7th
Luke, B., & Philip, L. (2023). PM2.5 pollution in Texas: a geospatial analysis of health impact functions. Frontiers in public health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1286755
Vancouver
Luke B, Philip L. PM2.5 pollution in Texas: a geospatial analysis of health impact functions. Frontiers in public health. 2023. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1286755. PMID: 38106908.
BibTeX
@article{luke2023-38106908,
author = {Luke, Bryan and Philip, Landrigan},
title = {{PM2.5 pollution in Texas: a geospatial analysis of health impact functions}},
journal = {Frontiers in public health},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2023.1286755},
pmid = {38106908},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1286755}
}
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