Steel City: An Analysis of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic and Respiratory Health in Hamilton, Ontario

Abstract

When understanding population health, especially in the context of pandemics, considering social, environmental, and biological implications is crucial to gain holistic perspectives. Factors such as exposure rates and susceptibility, which can be influenced by one’s social and physical environment, play a key role in health and pandemic variation among populations. This research aims to understand such varying pandemic experiences across city wards regarding the 1918 influenza pandemic in Hamilton, Ontario. Through exploring the influence of air pollution on health, a continuous issue faced by the Industrial Sector, this research investigates the environments of those living in Hamilton particularly during the pandemic, and asks: were people living in the Industrial Sector more likely to die of respiratory complications during the 1918 influenza? This study was conducted through the collection and analysis of approximately 20% of death certificates from a non-pandemic (1916) and a pandemic (1918) year. Supplementary sources such as archival records and available literature were also used to examine a potential link between poor respiratory health and mortality within the Industrial Sector during the pandemic. Social influences such as socioeconomic status, housing quality, and lifestyle, along with environmental and biological aspects such as the immunological effects of prolonged exposure to particulate matter (PM), were among the main factors analysed. This research holds potential for future studies surrounding historical and contemporary health regarding Hamilton’s Industrial Sector. This study indicates patterns of mortality across the city’s wards during the early 1900s and provides insight into determinants of health as linked to social, environmental, and biological influences. Events such as the 1918 influenza help to reveal such patterns in a population, and are valuable when analysing population health.