The air quality improvements dictated by the passage of the federal Clean Air Act have added about six months to the life of a typical Minnesotan since the 1970s, according to Data released this week by the University of Chicago’s Air Quality for Life Index.
The data, which is updated annually, shows that several more months could be added to the average life span of Minnesota residents if air quality standards were tightened to levels recommended by the World Health Organization.
The numbers in Minnesota are similar to those in the United States in general, which has some of the cleanest air in the world. In some parts of the developing world, life is interrupted for five to 10 years due to poor air quality. The study’s authors describe air pollution as “the world’s greatest external threat to human health”.
The pollutant of most concern is fine particulate matter, more commonly known as smoke or soot. The particles are small enough to enter the bloodstream from the lungs, and also cross into the brain.
Long-term exposure to these particles can cause asthma, cardiovascular problems, dementia and other health problems. Even low-level, short-term exposure can cause significant declines in cognition and physical ability.
Historically, industry in the United States has been one of the largest producers of this type of pollution. But the restrictions imposed by the Clean Air Act greatly reduced the volume of fine particulate matter released from chimneys and incineration facilities. From 1998 to 2021, the average annual fine particulate matter concentration in American air fell from 12.5 micrograms per cubic meter to 7.8.
But that number has been increasing in recent years, in large part due to record-breaking wildfire seasons that have spewed massive amounts of smoke into the atmosphere. during for 24 hours in mid-June this yearThe smoke concentration in Minneapolis averaged 85 micrograms per cubic meter, nearly 10 times higher than the annual statewide average.
those fires It is likely to continue in the coming yearsfueled by a warming climate and decades of neglected forest practices.
On the other hand, industry in developing parts of the world remains a strong source of smog emissions. Wood-burning heating and cooking appliances add to the mix, creating an indoor atmosphere where the air is much more polluted than it is outside.
Altogether, the average resident of Earth lost more than two years of life expectancy due to dirty air in 2021, according to the Air Quality Index.
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