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Michael Bastasch | Contributor
Is Diabetes Linked? to the pollution of the air? That's the kind of question that is just pretty absurd for the US Department of Veterans Affairs to pay a group of scientists to study.
Researchers at the University of Washington used taxpayer money to publish a study assigning 3.2 million new cases. "We found increased risk even at low levels of air pollution currently considered safe by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization. (WHO), "Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, the lead author of the study, said in a statement
The study assigns 150,000 new cases of diabetes a year to pollution by fine particles, also called PM2.5. Al-Aly and his colleagues claimed to find links between PM2.5 and diabetes at levels lower than those that the EPA deems safe.
"This is important because many industry lobby groups argue that current levels are too stringent. Aly said.
The Al-Aly study modeled particle impacts on hundreds of thousands of American veterans with no history of diabetes. The study found that "the burden varied considerably between regions and was more strongly oriented towards low-income and low- and middle-income countries."
Do people with diabetes suffer from pollution? atmospheric? Al-Aly could argue this, but his study has important limitations that undermine his results.
First, the study does not "account for individual differences in socioeconomic status, physical activity, and PM2.5 exposure," according to authors
Without data on the Exposure, how can we ensure that those who have developed diabetes have not done so because of poor eating habits and lack of exercise rather than pollution of the body? 39; air? (RELATED: Trump keeps the Saudi king, asks him to pump more oil)
Second, PM2.5 levels have dropped significantly over the past 18 years, according to the data from the EPA. PM2.5 concentrations dropped by more than 40% compared to the latest national air quality standard
EPA data show drastic reductions in PM2.5 levels in 35 major US metropolitan areas.
Source: US EPA
Has the number of people with diabetes increased or decreased in the last 18 years? Well, the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show a dramatic increase in diagnosed diabetes cases.
Source: CDC
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