Health officials and strong lawmakers are not paying close attention to the smallest particles of contamination. That omission causes asthma suffering in children and “excessive” deaths from the most vulnerable new studies.
According to the report, nine out of every ten people in cities around the world, or about 2.5 billion, are exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution each year. study It was published in The Lancet Planetary Health. Findings in a study led by George Washington University show the number and density of particles seven times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.
The study found that there were at least 1.8 million excess deaths associated with inhalation of particulate matter in 2019, increasing the risk of premature death from cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses such as lung cancer and infectious diseases. rice field.
The authors claim that the study paid particular attention to the world’s largest cities, as well as sparsely populated cities and under-scrutinized parameters. A new study tracked pollution in a total of 13,000 cities.
The second, Related research Approximately 2 million cases of childhood asthma were found to be associated with traffic-related nitrogen dioxide air pollution, and 2 of 3 cases were recorded in cities.
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Air quality warnings are part of an enhanced study of the relationship between emissions, pollution, and public health issues. COVID-19 rampage It shows how global breathing problems can be costly and debilitate economic and hospital systems.
Climate change associated with pollution-induced global warming has been “ It was considered the greatest threat.
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“To avoid the significant public health burdens caused by air pollution, we need a strategy to improve overall public health not only to reduce emissions, but also to reduce vulnerability,” said the polluted particles. Lead author Veronica Southernland said:
A 9-year-old London girl who died of an asthma attack in 2013 is believed to be the first in the world to have air pollution as the cause of death. But that ruling only appeared in 2020..
Asthma, the most common chronic condition among children, currently affects an estimated 6.1 million US children under the age of 18, according to Environmental Protection Agency data. Deaths from childhood asthma are still rare, but without treatment, such risks increase with age.
Treatment of asthma costs a total of about $ 50 billion annually to people using the US healthcare system. However, overhead costs are also summed up to $ 5.9 billion annually, for example due to the loss of productivity in the workplace. These figures are from the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and are quoted by the American Lung Association.
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Other recent studies have examined the concentration of polluted air, mostly in ethnic minority communities.
One international study led by a researcher at the University of Washington and published in a journal Environmental hygiene outlook Despite significant advances over the last few decades in the reduction of deadly pollutants in the United States, we have found that racial disparities remain. Studies have also shown that race is more important than income in determining who has the most air pollution.
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This study scientifically supports what many black and brown communities have said for decades, linking dirty air near crowded roads, highways, and industrial estates. ..
As just one example, it’s in the neighborhood of Chicago, with a 145-foot chimney that has caused 90 years of pain for people living nearby.
Little Village, or Labirita, has been the gateway to the Midwest for generations of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans. However, 44% of the neighborhood is industrial, and the old Crawford coal-fired power plant with its chimney kills an estimated 26 people each year and goes to 350 emergency rooms, according to a 2002 survey by Harvard School. Visits caused 1,800 asthma attacks. public health.
The chimney was scheduled to be demolished in 2020 after the factory closed in 2012, which was considered a victory for neighboring activists. But even its demolition, in a community already upset by the outbreak of COVID-19, gave little consideration to the breathing quality of its neighbors when its organized collapse filled the air with dust.
“If you live in a community that is under the brunt of bad air, this isn’t news at all for you. You’ve already noticed,” said a professor of civil engineering and environmental engineering at the University of Washington. Julian Marshall, the lead author of the book, said.
The American Lung Association agrees. Last year, it was reported that more than 4 out of 10 people in the United States (135 million people) live in polluted air. Colored races were 61% more likely to live in counties with unhealthy air than whites, and three times more likely to live in counties that did not pass all three air quality grades. Report of the American Lung Association, Analyzed the data from 2017 to 2019.
