In a 30-year analysis of 652 cities in 24 countries and regions on six continents, researchers found that the increase in air pollution was related to the increase in deaths. The study, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, is one of the largest international studies on the short-term impact of pollution as a cause of death, the researchers said. .
The analysis of air pollution data from 1986 to 2015 revealed an increase in the total number of deaths related to exposure to inhalable particles and fine particles. The deaths were due to cardiovascular and respiratory problems.
Particle pollution is the mixture of solid and liquid droplets in the air, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. It can take the form of dirt, dust, soot or smoke. It comes from coal and natural gas plants, cars, agriculture, unpaved roads and construction sites.
With higher levels of pollution, people die faster, said Chris Griffiths, professor of primary care at Queen Mary University in London.
"These are preventable deaths, and most worrying is that pollution-related deaths occur at levels below the pollution limits recommended by the international community," Griffiths told the Science Media Center. "The authors provide the most compelling evidence to date that targeted air pollution levels are set too high."
Effects of air pollution on health
A study conducted in July found that long-term exposure to air pollution, especially to ground-level ozone, equates to smoking about a pack of cigarettes a day for many years and can cause problems such as emphysema. Another study has shown that it can cause COPD and aging of the lungs faster. Air pollution also increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and lung cancer.
Previous studies had predicted that exposure to ground-level ozone levels could cause millions of acute respiratory problems and cost billions of dollars in the United States. Research has found that exposure to air pollution caused more than 107,000 premature deaths in the United States in 2011 alone.
Under the Trump administration, pollution guidelines have eased. Recent state administration guidelines would allow a state to emit 43% more pollution over its borders, although the agency itself has stated that it could lead to 1,400 premature deaths by the year 2030 compared to the Obama era plan that it replaces. States have asked the federal courts to prevent the review of these rules by the administration.
President Donald Trump said the top priority was to make sure that "America has the purest air and the best water on the planet," but since then, it has been the world 's top priority. he is in office, the number of "unhealthy air days" has increased, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. There are "unhealthy air days" when the level of ozone or particulate matter is high enough to be a hazard to children, the elderly or those with lung problems.
This may be partly related to the dismantling by the administration of dozens of environmental protections. Trump has also decided to freeze vehicle emissions standards and withdraw from the Paris International Climate Agreement. After years of decline, US carbon emissions have risen sharply, according to data from 2018. Carbon emissions are the main driver of climate change.
