Compound Signal
Respiratory Burden
Air pollution exposure × Respiratory-vulnerable population
50 counties are triggering this signal at the elevated threshold (≥70/100) right now.
County spotlight
Respiratory Burden in Jefferson County, OR
PM2.5 averages 15.4 µg/m³ against an asthma + COPD prevalence of 12.1% + 8.0%.
Implicated population
~4,870
adults with asthma or COPD
What it measures
Where chronic air-pollution exposure converges with elevated respiratory disease prevalence and a pulmonology access deficit. Signals counties where the population most affected by particulate pollution has the least access to respiratory specialists.
Component breakdown
Each component is independently percentile-ranked against all US counties (0–100), then blended into the final signal score using the weights below.
| Component | Weight | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 annual mean | 40% | EPA AQS / EJSCREEN |
| Asthma + COPD blend (60/40 dominant) | 30% | CDC PLACES |
| Pulmonology access deficit | 30% | NPPES (inverted percentile) |
Evidence base
Long-term PM2.5 exposure is a confirmed driver of asthma exacerbations and COPD progression. The dominant/secondary blend (60/40) ensures counties with both conditions elevated score higher than those with only one. Pulmonology supply is inverted so counties with fewer specialists per capita score higher — the access leg is what makes this a service-line indicator and not just an exposure-prevalence stack.
Pope et al, JAMA 2002
Pope CA III, Burnett RT, Thun MJ, et al. Lung cancer, cardiopulmonary mortality, and long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution. JAMA. 2002;287(9):1132-1141.
EPA NAAQS PM2.5 review
EPA Integrated Science Assessment for Particulate Matter (2019) — long-term PM2.5 causal for respiratory mortality.
Counties triggering this signal
Top 50 counties at the elevated threshold (70/100) or above, sorted by score. Click any county for the full profile.
Related service line: respiratory. The platform tool exposes per-county service-line opportunity scores on Pro, Studio, and Enterprise tiers.
Methodology
Every Compound Signal on this platform is a versioned, weighted composite published transparently. See the full methodology — every weight, every threshold, every data source — on the methodology page.
View full methodology →