Cleaner air means Americans live longer

by Amy Judd | January 22, 2009 at 09:26 am

533 views | 43 Recommendations | 13 comments

The cleaner the air - the longer you will live - makes sense right?

Well in over 51 US cities, reduced air pollution over a period of twenty years, has added five months to the average persons' life expectancy.

This study was conducted at the Birgham Young University and the Harvard School of Public Health.

Sounds kind of obvious though doesn't it?

The study took place from 1980 to 2000 and most residents were living about 2.72 years longer by the end of that period. About 15 percent of that increase was due to a better air quality.

In some of the most polluted cities, such as Los Angeles and Houston, cleaner air added about 10 months to an average person's life.

"Such a significant increase in life expectancy attributable to reducing air pollution is remarkable," said C. Arden Pope III, a BYU epidemiologist and lead author of the study, which is published in the Jan. 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

"We find that we're getting a substantial return on our investments in improving our air quality," he said. "Not only are we getting cleaner air that improves our environment, but it is improving our public health."

The latest study evaluated the impact of decreases in particulate air pollution known as PM2.5 — tiny pollutants smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, or smaller than 4/100ths of the width of a human hair.

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Daniela White Images

at 10:21 on January 22nd, 2009

I am all for it and I hope that it will be applied globally. It is so important to preserve a good balance in our world as we all deserve to live in a cleaner and healthier environment.

Daniela White

Uwe Paschen

at 10:23 on January 22nd, 2009

Cleaner Air would solve the health care crisis to a point as well and save a lot of money.

yuiopy

at 10:51 on January 22nd, 2009

this is a picture of Romania...I remember when I was a child winters were winters and summers were summers....that picture was made 1 week ago...there were -5 - -10 degrees C...and today it was
+13 degrees C...it is sad

yuiopy has contributed a photo to this story.

christopher v. smith

at 10:54 on January 22nd, 2009

i snapped this photo as i was winding down Mulholland Drive

christopher v. smith has contributed a photo to this story.

sarahsmiles36

at 11:08 on January 22nd, 2009

I love photographing flowers. This orchid was so pretty and delicate, I have only seen orchids at stores! Much more impressive and beautiful growing in the trees! This was taken in Puerto Morelos, Mexico.

xmasberry

at 13:05 on January 22nd, 2009

I live in Salt Lake City, Utah where inversion traps pollutants in the valley regularly, bringing our air quality to extremely dangerous levels. Studies here also shown increased heart-related problems during periods of extremely bad air quality.

Cleaner air does not just mean we live longer; it means we live better!

Stephen McGrath

at 15:21 on January 22nd, 2009

Whilst travelling throughout Asia, I found that some of the most beautiful scenery in the world is spoilt by pollution. Even in places not close to major cities, there is still a permanent haze. Ha Long Bay is one of the natural wonders of the world yet, unless there has been recent storms, it is ruined by pollution. The photo I was asked to submit is of Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Whilst the view from the top of the stairs is not of anything particularly interesting, you can still see what a toxic soup Malaysians are living in.

ronram

at 17:22 on January 22nd, 2009

When I stayed in Peshawar in Pakistan in 2006 the atmosphere seemed as polluted as I remembered Glasgow in the 1960s. My local friend Jabar told me how as a child his family had gone to open air cafes in the city. Now there is almost nowhere to sit out to eat, drink and people-watch. In this city even the street children were wearing smog masks.

ronram has contributed a photo to this story.

wiseguises

at 19:05 on January 22nd, 2009

Cleaner coal burning? This is what i see every morning when i get out of my apartment. One out of the many, u find all around China.

wiseguises has contributed a photo to this story.

158

at 19:50 on January 22nd, 2009

This needs a worldwide effort.

jetsetvet

at 21:45 on January 22nd, 2009

I took this photo on a hike outside Beijing. The air has been remarkably clearer than I expected since I arrived in October 2008, after the Olympics. Although it is generally much clearer than I thought it would be, there are all sorts of nasty smells and new buildings off-gassing in ways I never experienced before. And there are some bad and REALLY BAD air days. When I blow my nose, the result is always gray or black. I never believed in air purifiers before, but I wouldn't be without one here!

jetsetvet has contributed a photo to this story.