Air pollution continues to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of people each year

US researchers are studying air pollution and its effects
Air pollution is a widespread problem around the world, which can lead to various health problems. Every year many people die from the negative effects of polluted air. Researchers have now discovered that although air in the US has actually been looking cleaner for decades, thousands more are dying each year as a result of air pollution. The deaths occur even though the current levels of air pollution are actually considered safe according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The scientists of Harvard T.H. Chan's School of Public Health found in their investigation that air pollution still costs thousands of lives in the US each year. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "New England Journal of Medicine".

Polluted air is a major threat to human health. Every year, thousands of people die as a result of air pollution. The current policy of the US government under Donald Trump leads according to experts to increased air pollution. (Image: Ralf Geithe / fotolia.com)

Air is still too contaminated
The levels of air pollution, which were considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency, are still causing the deaths of thousands of Americans. Data from the current research shows that we still breathe in harmful air, says author Francesca Dominici of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The air is still too contaminated.

Physicians analyze the data of 60 million patients
For their study, scientists use the data from air monitoring stations and satellites to create a detailed picture of air pollution. They then analyzed the effects of low air pollution on human mortality with the help of data from 60 million patients from the year 2000 to the year 2012.

Current safety standards are not sufficient
If the levels of the fine particles were reduced by only one microgram per cubic meter of air, it would save about 12,000 lives in the US alone, the researchers explain. The study shows that the current security standards are simply not secure enough, adds the expert Dominici. Basically, fine particles taken up by the air consist of tiny particles of dust and soot.

Social disadvantaged people are particularly affected
Some people in the US are particularly affected by the negative effects of air pollution. Socially disadvantaged people and African-American men are at increased risk, explain the authors. One of the reasons for this could be, for example, that these groups of people live in areas with increased air pollution and usually have poor access to effective health care.

Governments need to keep the air clean
The results show that more needs to be done to keep air pollution as low as possible. It is the responsibility of governments to ensure that the air is clean and does not pose a threat to human health, the researchers emphasize.

Current policies of the Trump government are leading to increased air pollution
Some experts believe that the current policies of the Trump government will lead to increased air pollution. This is due, for example, to the increased use of coal, a weakening of the current standards in permissible emissions and the withdrawal in the fight against global warming. These factors will cause more people to die of polluted air in the future, say the researchers. The most affected are the poor and socially disadvantaged. (As)