Abstract
Elevated levels of water hardness have been related to lower mortality from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. The present ecologic study examined the relationship between water hardness and cerebrovascular mortality in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Data on cerebrovascular death rate and water hardness per municipality were retrieved from public record. This study incorporated information on socioeconomic status and health care status in each municipality, using multiple logistic regression analysis. The present study failed to substantiate an association of water hardness with cerebrovascular mortality, although there was a significant linear trend for an inverse association in females. We also observed a significant positive relationship between water hardness of 76.0 mg/L or greater and cerebrovascular mortality in males. However, the difference between the sexes was not significant. This study provides no evidence that water hardness is protective against cerebrovascular mortality.
