Cold related mortality in England and Wales; influence of social class in working and retired age groups.

P ercentage increases in mortality in winter were generally higher among lower than higher social classes in 1970– 72, but recent studies show no clear association with regional estimates of deprivation. 3 We now assess cold related mortalities (always expressed as a fraction of baseline mortality) among social classes in England and Wales, in working and retired age groups, to look for any current effects of social class, and to see whether any such effects are work related.