Cleaner Air & Less Pollution Can Add 5 Months of Average Life Span - Environmental Protection Agency & Clean Air Act of 1970, Air Pollution

> Beginning the late 1800s, asbestos was mined and used in many different industries all over North America, especially before the World War II. Examples of industry use include:

- Automotive industry uses asbestos in vehicle brakeshoes and clutch pads.
- Building & construction industry uses asbestos for strengthening cement as well as sound absorption, roofing, insulation and fireproofing.
- Shipbuilding industry uses asbestos to insulate hot water pipes, boilers and steampipes... (Read More)

> About 2000 - 4000 Americans are diagnosed with Malignant Mesothelioma each year, and about 66% of those cases are of Pleural Mesothelioma. Pleural Mesothelioma occurs when Cancer hits the lining of the lungs, also known as the 'Pleura.' The Pleura is a Sac which houses the lungs, and consists of a thin membrane called the 'mesothelium.' The mesothelium is a vital part of the lungs because it enables them to expand and contract when breathing by secreting a fluid. This fluid is located in the lungs and inside of the rib cage. If the Pleura or the Pleural fluid becomes damaged with Cancer, it makes it very hard for the patient to breathe, thus shortness of breath is a common symptom of Pleural mesothelioma... (Read More)

(January 23rd, 2010)

A significant decrease in the amount of air pollution in the last 20 years has added approximately 5 months of life for the average American, according to a new study published by the New England Journal of Medicine (January 18th Weekly edition). The study suggests that the average lifespan of Americans increased by about 3 years between 1978 and 2001, out of which 5 months is contributed by cleaner air and less pollution. The study was conducted by Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham Young University and sponsored by the federal government. Two American cities where air pollution is an ongoing problem include Los Angeles and New York city, where the # of cars emitting gas is huge. Also, other parts of the United States that emit large air pollution include those cities that house oil refineries that release contaminants such as benzene, mercury, sulfuric acid and more. The risk that these oil refineries pose include that if they explode or catch a fire, they will emit large amounts of Asbestos fibers in to the air and can be inhaled by workers nearby. Dr. Joel Kaufman, professor of Environmental Health at the University of Washington quotes, "Our efforts as a country to control air pollution have been well worth the expense."

The Clean Air Act was passed by Congress in the 1970s to protect Americans from bad effects to the air, environment, soil and land. The Clean Air Act requires that if Asbestos is present in a public building or structure, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must be notified before any abatement officers come to remove asbestos. Furthermore, the EPA requires through air quality tests be conducted on any buildings containing Asbestos. This is done so as to ensure Abestos particles do not become airborne and are not released in to the air. If this happens, there is a risk nearby workers and general public will inhale it, and develop Asbestos related diseases. Daniel Krewski, professor of Pollution research at the University of Ottawa quotes, "This finding provides direct confirmation of the population health benefits of mitigating air pollution."

Lead author of the study, C. Arden Pope III (Image on the right) who is an Epidemiologist at Brigham Young University quotes, "We saw that communities that had larger reductions in air pollution on average had larger increases in life expectancies." This study was pioneered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The mission of the study was to provide "critical information“ to American citizens about their environment. The government announced last year that the average life expectancy in America has surpassed the 78 years level, which is an important landmark.

Co-author of the study, Douglas Dockery, chair of the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard School of Public Health quotes, "There is an important positive message here that the efforts to reduce particulate air pollution concentrations in the United States over the past 20 years have led to substantial and measurable improvements in life expectancy."