A report published in this week’s edition of the New England Journal of Medicine claims that a decrease in air pollution over the last twenty years has added approximately five months to the average Americans’ life span. The study, funded by the federal government and conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham Young University, states that the average life span of Americans’ increased about three years between 1978 and 2001, and that an estimated 4.8 months of this increase can be contributed to cleaner air.
Air pollution has been an ongoing problem for the United States, especially in metropolitan areas such as New York City and Los Angeles. In other parts of the country, oil refineries continue to release air contaminants such as sulfuric acid, mercury, and benzene, all of which are known carcinogens. These oil refineries may also release asbestos into the air if they experience a fire or explosion, and, if asbestos fibers become airborne, they may be inhaled by those residing near to the refinery and can lead to the eventual development of mesothelioma cancer.
Dr. Joel Kaufman, an expert on environmental health at the University of Washington, said that the study’s results mean that “our efforts as a country to control air pollution have been well worth the expense.” Other doctors and experts call the additional five months of life “dramatic.”
A revised Clean Air Act was passed by Congress in 1970, which gave the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) additional power to enforce national standards in an effort to better protect citizens from air, water and soil pollutants.
Included under the Clean Air Act are regulations specific to asbestos, which is named as a “hazardous air pollutant.” If asbestos is located in a structure, local governments and EPA must be notified prior to abatement, and air quality testing must be conducted to ensure that asbestos is not released into the air in harmful amounts.
Air pollution levels have fallen from 21 micrograms per cubic meter to 14 micrograms per meter in the specific American cities which were included in the study.
According to the head of the study, C. Arden Pope III, an epidemiologist at Brigham Young, communities that had a decrease in air contamination experienced an increase in life expectancies. Buffalo, NY and Pittsburgh, PA made “the most progress” in cleaning up the air over their city, according to Pope. In Los Angeles, St. Louis and Indianapolis, the increase in life span was approximately five months.
The study, which was partially founded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and EPA, provides “critical information” about the environmental changes taking place in our country.
“This finding provides direct confirmation of the population health benefits of mitigating air pollution,” said Daniel Krewski, who specializes in pollution research at the University of Ottawa in Canada.
