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Drop in U.S. air pollution linked to longer lifespans |
Americans are living longer because the air they breathe is getting
cleaner, a new study suggests. The average drop in pollution seen
across 51 metropolitan areas between 1980 and 2000 appears to have
added nearly five more months to people's lives, with some cities
reporting an even higher jump: Pittsburgh's clearer air meant people
there could expect to live nearly 10 months longer.
Long-term exposure to dirty air -- specifically, the tiny specks known as fine-particulate air pollution -- shortens lives and contributes to cardiovascular and lung disease. Particulate matter is inhaled almost like a gas and is thought to hike blood, heart attack risk, and the chance of heart disease-related death.
The American Heart Association recommends that heart patients avoid driving for two to three weeks after leaving the hospital to avoid pollution (and stress). Other research has suggested that a nonsmoker living in a polluted city has about the same risk of dying of heart disease as a former smoker
The Clean Air Act of 1970 set nationwide air quality standards and motor-vehicle emissions standards for the first time, and the federal government and some states have continued to take steps to tackle air pollution. Thanks to these efforts, U.S. air quality has improved.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, particulate matter 2.5 microns in size declined in the United States by an average of 11 percent between 2000 and 2007.
CNNhealth.com
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