30K lives could be saved by reducing the levels of air pollution below the current standard

Research results from the Center for Air Quality, Climate and Energy Solutions (CACES) of Carnegie Mellon University show significant benefits to human health when air quality is above current national standards for ambient air quality. The estimate of the number of lives that can be saved by a further reduction in air pollution levels is more than thirty thousand, which is similar to the number of deaths due to car accidents each year.

The results of CACES were published this week in two related studies in journals Environmental Health Outlook and PLOS Medicine. Studies have focused on US mortality related to PM pollution (PM_2.5), the complex mixture of chemicals that can penetrate deep into the lungs and contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and premature death. The current American standard for particles_2.5 is an annual average of 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air. The new findings indicate that improving air quality has important public health benefits, even in places where_2.5 levels are less than 12 micrograms per cubic meter.

"These results are particularly relevant at a time when the EPA is considering changing the way it calculates the benefits of better air quality by removing health benefits that are below the current standard," Allen said. Robinson, director of CACES and professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon. . "It is important to consider these benefits when evaluating efforts to combat climate change, such as the Clean Energy Plan."

Another key finding is the substantial health benefits of clean-up efforts over the past two decades. For example, in some areas of California and some southern states, it is estimated that these efforts have extended life expectancy by 0.3 years. "While much remains to be done to continue to improve the quality of our air, it is important to celebrate the tremendous progress made," Robinson said.

Both studies used very large sets of national public data. "The fact that it's public data is very important because it means that independent research teams can replicate our results," Robinson said. "This responds to lawmakers' demands for a transparent science and ensures that there is admissible scientific evidence on which to base environmental regulations."

The study published in Environmental Health Outlook used public data from 28 years of national health interview surveys, combined with the National Death Index, to create a representative cohort of 1.6 million people, of considerable size, well documented . The study published in PLOS Medicine used data from the National Center for Health Statistics, which examined 18.4 million cardiorespiratory deaths from 1999 to 2015. The researchers involved in both studies used different data sets and different methods, but their results are consistent .

"The ubiquitous and involuntary nature of exposures and the widely observed effects among subpopulations underscore the importance for public health of breathing clean air," said Arden Pope, professor of economics. at Brigham Young University and lead author of the book. Environmental Health Outlook paper.

"In all counties, some people are dying too early because of the current air pollution, which would make further improvements a national priority," said Majid Ezzati, professor of environmental health at Imperial College London and author main PLOS Medicine paper.

Other collaborators include Cornerstone Research, Harvard University, Health Canada, the National Cancer Center (Korea), the University of Chicago, and the University of Washington. The research was funded by the Center for Climate, Air and Energy Solutions (CACES), funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency, grant number R835873, and the Wellcome Trust.