Harvard Study: Clean Air Can Have Deadly Consequences

BOSTON (CBS) — There is a lot of talk about climate change but we often forget that the same pollutants warming the earth are also making it hard for us to breathe.  As Dr. Mallika Marshall reports, local researchers, in one of the largest studies of its kind, have found that even relatively clean air can have deadly consequences. Everyone has to breathe, but the air we breathe, even in the most rural places, could be killing us.  That’s according to a study conducted by Francesca Dominici and her colleagues at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health which examined data on more 60 million senior citizens over a 12 year period. Francesca Dominici. (Photo credit: WBZ-TV) “What we found,” says Dominici, “Is that the level of pollution that we breathe, even when these levels are low and much lower than the safety standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency, can increase the risk of death among our senior citizens.” African American and low income seniors were found to be at the greatest risk. Most of the air pollution comes from coal-fired power plants and traffic, but fine particulate matter can travel long distances and when inhaled, penetrates deep into the lungs triggering inflammation.  That can lead to heart and lung disease. Smokestacks are also said to generate pollutants. (Photo credit: WBZ-TV) Dominici says lowering pollution by even tiny amounts could save at least 12,000 deaths a year, but she has real concerns about being able to ac...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Local News Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Watch Listen Climate Change Dr. Mallika Marshall Pollution Source Type: news