Deaths are true population-based statistics because every death is recorded. Deaths are relevant to tracking because the elderly can be sensitive to environmental exposures. Acute environmental episodes, such as severe air pollution or heat wave, have been followed by an increased number of deaths. Overall, however, environmental exposures are thought to be responsible for a relatively small fraction of deaths in the U.S. Voluntary exposures such as smoking, alcohol, and a sedentary lifestyle, and social determinants such as poverty are much more important. Under some circumstances, death statistics reported in the MTN may differ somewhat from reports by the Vital Statistics Administration, because of the way rates are computed. For more information, see the
Vital Statistics Topics Page
