While it makes sense that clean air is more healthful to breathe than polluted air, scientists have recently calculated how much longer we can expect to live, as a result of efforts that have already been made to clean up the air.  The short report below from The Week magazine, February 6, explains.

“Cleaning up the environment isn’t an easy task, but we Americans are already reaping modest rewards for our hard work.  Since policymakers ramped up efforts to reduce air pollution in the 1980s, the nation’s air–especially in big cities–has become significantly cleaner. 

The cleaner air has added nearly five months to the average life expectancy in the U.S., say researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health.  That’s because the tiny bits of soot and chemicals in polluted air can lodge deep in the lungs and cause lung disease, heart attacks, and strokes.  These particulates come from power plants, factories, and automobiles. 

Plenty of policymakers have asked the question, “If I spend the money to reduce pollution, what really happens?”  epidemiologist Joel Schwartz tells The Los Angeles Times.  Now, he says, we can give them an answer:  By reducing pollution, we’re saving lives.”

         

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