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Smog and Death

Air pollution is even deadlier than scientists first thought – in fact, more than twice as deadly.

Researchers at the University of Southern California examined the link between mortality and fine particulate pollution in the soot of 267 communities in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernadino, and Ventura counties. What they found was that the higher the level of particulates people breathed in, the more likely they were to die from heart attacks, diabetes, and lung cancer. The risk of premature death from breathing polluted air was two to three times higher than researchers had previously believed.

Fine particulates pose a serious health hazard because they are so tiny that when we breathe them in, they penetrate deep into the lungs and sometimes even enter the bloodstream. They are found in smoke, the exhaust fumes of cars, trucks, and buses, and in industrial emissions and the haze that hangs over Los Angeles.

Other studies have shown that Southern California’s air pollution also causes subtle, long-term health problems for children, damaging the lungs of girls even more so than boys. Research shows boys exposed to outdoor air pollution were more prone to respiratory illnesses, while girls who spent a lot of time outdoors were more likely to become easily winded and lose lung capacity.

Clearly, no matter what your age, breathing dirty air is hazardous to your health. Reducing the emissions that cause smog (such as car exhaust and industrial fumes created when burning fossil fuels) also reduces the causes of global warming. There is much to be gained by reducing emissions and clearing the air.

For more information about this study, click here.

For information specific to children’s health and exposure to smog, go to:

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/centers/1999news/ctrnws1.htm

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org