Is illness always random or may it sometimes be due to human caused pollution? Maps of the locations of fossil fuel industry operations and the incidence of asthma attacks overlap very closely suggesting that pollutants associated with the industry may be causing/correlated with asthma attacks.
Correlation is not proof of causation but it doesn’t disprove causation either. A correlation in data can suggest that it would be worth the time to take a closer look at the data or to do more controlled studies. Or we could save time and possibly reduce asthma attacks by just investing in renewable energy sources instead and leaving the fossil fuel in the ground.
The maps in the following link do make it clear for asthma sufferers where asthma attacks are more likely to occur in the U.S., whether it’s because the air might be safer or easier to breath is a correlation. The following title uses the word ’caused’ which might not hold up in a court of law – but might be true anyway. It can be hard to prove causation or correlation.
- “Report Shows How Many Asthma Attacks Are Caused By The Oil And Gas Industry,”
https://thinkprogress.org/asthma-attacks-from-oil-gas-industry-8284433fd5c5#.f502lu6z5 - General information on the study of geographic patterns of disease within the field of epidemiology: http://www.wiley.com/legacy/wileychi/eob/pdfs/eob2_geographic.pdf
The maps of asthma attacks and ozone associated with fossil fuel locations also help show how wind patterns around agricultural communities might reflect agricultural chemical drift and might also show up in patterns of disease occurrence.
Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.