Improvements in U.S. Air Quality Are Saving Thousands of Lives a Year

Recent improvements in U.S. air quality are saving thousands of lives per year, according to the latest Health of the Air report from the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and New York University (NYU). The report, published in Annals of the American Thoracic Society, looked at the health effects of particulate matter and ozone pollution above ATS-recommended levels. The annual number of premature deaths associated with these substances fell from about 12,600 in 2010 to 7,140 in 2017, the report says. Together, the pollutants were also responsible for some 15,500 serious illnesses, down from nearly 27,000 in 2010. Those changes were driven almost entirely by improvements in particulate matter pollution, rather than reductions in ozone pollution, the report says. U.S. air quality has improved dramatically since the Clean Air Act passed in 1970. Subsequent addendums to the law and newer policies, like regulations on vehicle emissions and the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, have also reduced air pollution. Since 2010 alone, the report says, mortality associated with particulate matter—exposure to which is associated with health problems including respiratory issues, cancer, and heart disease—fell by 60%. But progress began to stall at the tail end of that time period, according to the report—around the time the Trump Administration began to roll back some environmental protection policies. Other research supports that idea. The American Lung Association’...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Air Pollution data visualization embargoed study Environment Source Type: news