Better Air Quality Linked to Longer Life Expectancy

A recent study shows that air pollution is down by 35 percent in the United States.

According to researchers at BYU, the U.S. air quality has been improving since 1990, resulting in a reduction of deaths and disability due to attributable air pollution.

 "Some of the best news relative to the air pollution research over the last few years is the evidence that our reducing air pollution in the United States has resulted in measurable improvements in life expectancy and public health," said lead study author Arden Pope, via a press release.

Background information from the study notes that 1990 was a major point for air quality research. The late 80s marked the shut down of a steel mill in Utah Valley for one year due to a labor strike. It was then that Pope said he spotted a research opportunity that showed major problems for air quality regarding particles floating around from the combustion of car engines, power plants and steel mills.  

Previous research shows that dirty air can impact hospital visitors, mortality rates and cardiovascular disease, including the risk of heart attacks.

"One of the biggest surprises of this research was that air pollution contributed to cardiovascular disease and not just respiratory disease," Pope said, via the release. "In fact, we're learning that air pollution not only impacts our lungs but it impacts our heart and our brain."

These findings caught the attention of scientists and regulators alike, leading to the automobile emissions standards and cleaner manufacturing processes.

With a background on the topic, Pope took an in-depth look at China's air quality, along with scientists at MIT, Peking University, Tsinghua University and Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The study concludes with the following, via the release: "The Huai River runs west to east and is regarded as the geographical dividing line between northern and southern China. In winter, the Chinese government provides free coal to residents north of the river to heat their homes.

"In denying coal to people who live south of the river, the Chinese government actually did them a favor. The researchers found that air pollution is 55 percent lower on the south side. They also estimated that life expectancy was five years lower on the north side because of the extra air pollution."

"While their results tend to be a bit higher than what we'd expect based on the rest of the literature, it's still roughly consistent with what we would expect based on the other studies that we've been doing," Pope said.

More information regarding the study can be found via the Journal of the American Medical Association.