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Pollution Kills

Posted on 2019/06/212019/06/24 by admin

by Daniel Brouse and Sidd Mukherjee

Pollution will kill you. Usually, it is a slow, painful death.

For the last 20 years, the American Lung Association has analyzed data from official air quality monitors to compile the “State of the Air” report. The most recent report found the United States recorded more days with hazardous air quality than ever. “Hazardous” as air that reaches “emergency conditions” on the government’s air quality index. “More than 4 in 10 people live where pollution levels are too often dangerous to breathe.”

Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD rank as the 21st worst city for ozone and the 18th worst for “Year Round Particle Pollution”. Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV ranked 7th worst for year round particle pollution. Lancaster, PA ranked 15th worst for particle pollution.

“Two types of air pollution dominate in the U.S.: ozone and particle pollution1. These two pollutants threaten the health and the lives of millions of Americans. Thanks to the Clean Air Act, the U.S. has far less of both pollutants now than in the past. Still, nearly 141.1 million people live in counties where monitors show unhealthy levels of one or both—meaning the air a family breathes could shorten life or cause lung cancer and other harmful effects. It may be hard to imagine that pollution could be invisible, but ozone is. It is currently one of the least-well-controlled pollutants in the United States. And, it is also one of the most dangerous” the Association reports.

The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington that 5 million deaths per year could be attributed to stroke, heat attack, diabetes, lung cancer and chronic lung disease that resulted from air pollution.

The journal Lancet Planetary Health found air pollution is linked to diabetes.

The National Academy of Sciences published a study that found a significant impact from exposure to air pollution on cognitive performance.

“Today it feels like the future of our kids and our country is at stake,” said former Obama EPA chief Gina McCarthy, now director of the Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard School of Public Health. “We do not have the cleanest air and we have not crossed the finish line when it comes to pollution.”

Vote for parks. Trees and plants help abate pollution.
If you can, move away from the traffic.
Consider wearing masks.

Pollution And Health: 9 Million Deaths Per Year

Posted on 2017/10/202017/10/20 by admin

The Lancet Commission published a report on October 19, 2017 that outlined the results of pollution and health. The report concluded that 9 million people suffered premature deaths due to pollution in 2015.

“Pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and premature death in the world today. Diseases caused by pollution were responsible for an estimated 9 million premature deaths in 2015—16% of all deaths worldwide—three times more deaths than from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined and 15 times more than from all wars and other forms of violence. In the most severely affected countries, pollution-related disease is responsible for more than one death in four,” the report states.

Air pollution is the leading cause of death followed by water pollution. The financial cost from pollution-related death, sickness and welfare costs about $4.6 trillion in annual losses.

The report highlights:

Air pollution was linked to 6.5 million premature deaths;
Water pollution was linked to 1.8 million premature deaths;
Workplace pollution was linked to 1 million premature deaths;
Premature deaths resulting from pollution-related diseases like heart disease and cancer outnumbered AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined 3 to 1;
About 92% of all premature deaths linked to pollution occur in low and middle-income countries.
Up to one in four deaths can be attributed to pollution in countries like China, India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh.
In absolute numbers, China (1.8 million) and India (2.5 million) had the most pollution-related deaths for the year 2015.
The United States, home to the world’s biggest economy, saw 155,000 premature deaths linked to pollution in 2015.

MORE REFERENCES
Death By Ozone
Health And Air Quality
Air Pollution Deaths
Air Pollution Killing Millions
Largest Health Risk

U.N.: Humans Induce Climate Change

Posted on 2013/09/23 by admin

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that “we cannot accept a rising tide that floats only some boats and leaves many to drown.”

Ban Ki-moon has been taking a strong stance on global warming. His latest efforts include getting world leaders to admit humans are impacting climate change. Most people would think this is a given. No. In fact, quite a few government and business leaders refuse to admit to what science shows.

“Nobody can benefit from catastrophic climate change or rampant unemployment and the social unrest that comes with it,” Mr. Ban said.

UK newspaper The Independent says. “The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will say next week that certainty has increased from “very likely” to “extremely likely” that human activity has caused more than half of the observed temperature rise from 1951 to 2010, in a large part due to fossil fuels and deforestation.”