Scientists reveal the impact of air pollution on the human body
This is what air pollution does to the human body
- Air pollution, like ozone and PM2.5, significantly damages nearly every major human body system, impacting cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological health, and increasing death from cardiovascular diseases like coronary heart disease or hospitalisations for heart attacks and strokes.
- The US Clean Air Act, established in 1970, has been instrumental in reducing air pollution, leading to considerable health improvements and economic benefits across the nation.
- However, the Trump administration intends to drop the monetary health benefits from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) economic impact assessments for air pollution regulations.
- The EPA's rationale for this change, citing uncertainty in monetising health impacts, could lead to new infrastructure, such as power plants, being constructed to less stringent pollution standards.
- Numerous studies confirm that reducing air pollution saves lives, lowers healthcare expenditure, and enhances quality of life, evidenced by decreases in preterm births and asthma-related hospital admissions.