Study shows cleaner air adds months to your life
By Joe Castner
I just read an article in my Contra Costa Times newspaper that said cleaner air over the past two decades has been attributed to adding nearly five months to the average American's life expectancy. The article, written by Alicia Chan of the Associated Press, details a study conducted by researchers at Brigham Young University and Harvard School of Public Health, and was reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
According to the study, between 1978 and 2001, the average life span for Americans increased almost three years to 77, and as much as 4.8 months of that could be attributed to cleaner air.
The results seemed to indicate that efforts to control air pollution were paying off, according to Dr. Joel Kaufman, a University of Washington expert on environmental health.
The article went on to say that scientists have long known that the grit in polluted air, or particulates, can lodge deep in the lungs and raise the risk of lung diseases, heart attacks, or strokes. The grit, made of dust, soot, and various chemicals, comes from factories, power plants, and diesel-powered vehicles.
The Clean Air Act of 1970 which gave the EPA the power to set and enforce national clean air standards is widely credited with bringing about the changes that have led to cleaner outdoor air and thus, the increases in American life spans.
While this study focused on the improvements in the outdoor air and its impact on life spans, and taking into account the now common knowledge that the air in many homes is many many times more polluted than the outdoor air, it stands to reason that people who take steps to remove dangerous airborne particulates from their indoor air stand a better chance of living longer than people who did not.
We've long believed that cleaner air is a "quality of life" issue. This study now confirms that clean air is much more than that. Now it seems quite reasonable to assert that cleaner air lmay very well lead to a longer life!
Comments
| Kare Anderson
March 30, 2009 |
Ironic, Joe, that as air is getting less polluted outdoors & more polluted indoors |
| kare Anderson
April 03, 2009 |
Linda Kincaid @ Green Building Elements shared this alarming news “We recently tested several new homes for formaldehyde in the air. The newest home, advertised as a “green” home, had 300 ppb of formaldehyde. Children in homes with only 30 ppb can have decreased lung function. Between 60 ppb and 120 ppb, children are more likely to have asthma and chronic bronchitis. At 100 ppb, most adults experience eye, nose, and throat irritation. Of homes that were less than 2 years old, every home we tested had at least 100 ppb of formaldehyde. The newer homes had 200 - 300 ppb. |
| Kare Anderson
April 06, 2009 |
It’s a good time for those with (allergies and asthma especially) to think about getting healthier air inside one’s home at least. As a reminder the annual “10 worst cities for asthma list came out…. |
