Lifespan Issues of Concern
Periodically over the last three years there have been inquiries in the Pine River watershed related to use of a website developed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that allows for people to enter a specific residential address and receive instantly a number for the average lifespan in that census tract. The website says zip code, but the data that is tied to addresses is for census tracts. Generally, there are several census tracts in an urban Zip Code.
When an address is entered into the website, for the area of St. Louis adjacent to the old Velsicol plant site, the average lifespan is 74.4 years. An address upstream in Alma near the former refineries and metal plating sites shows a lifespan of 73.1. For the county, the lifespan number is 77.92. For Michigan as a whole the number is 77.1, slightly above the U.S. number of 77.3. Some who have gone to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation data wonder why St. Louis and eastern Alma have lower lifespans than the county, state or nation. We will investigate this further and try to get explanations of possible ways to interpret these numbers.
To go to the Robert wood Johnson lifespan website use this web address: Life Expectancy by ZIP Code: Where You Live Affects How Long You Live - RWJF