US Coal Plant Closure Emphasises Health Benefits Of Cleaner Air
One study suggests that the benefits of fresh air may be greater than previous evidence suggests.
Investigators investigated the 2016 closure of the coal plant. Located on Neville Island in the Ohio River near Pittsburgh, USA, the plant has been used to produce coal coke for steel production for nearly 100 years. The closure of the plant resulted in an immediate reduction in air pollution for local communities. Sulfur dioxide levels dropped by 90%, arsenic by 66%, and particulate pollution also improved.
Emergency room visits for heart problems dropped by 42 percent immediately and continued to decline over the next three years until the end of the study, suggesting that the block led to long-term health improvements. A similar pattern was observed in cases of cerebral circulation disorders. These changes were not observed in the two remote plant communities used as experimental controls.
When studying medical statistics, the real experience of the victims can be overlooked. The testimonies of local residents show what it is like to live in dirty air, dust and the smell of plants. Some people described how they struggled to control their asthma, while others said their breathing problems got worse when they first moved to the area. It was customary to close the windows at night when pollution entered the settlement.
Air pollution is often invisible in our daily lives. Factory closures reminiscent of the lockdown Covid brought instant change: people suddenly saw crystal blue skies instead of smog and the smell of nature along with health.
Professor George Thurston of the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, who led the study, said: "We found that closing the implants had a greater than expected benefit for heart health." This is compelling evidence that fossil fuel air pollution is far more toxic than other forms of air pollution. Politicians have vastly underestimated the immediate and local health benefits we will gain if we move away from refining and burning fossil fuels in our cities and towns.
"This type of study is one of the best ways to test whether air pollution actually causes health problems," said Dan Greenbaum, a professor at the US Health Effects Institute, who was not involved in the Pittsburgh study. Simply put, if the pollution in the air a person breathes is reduced, is there any measurable improvement in health? It's clearly about the citizens of Pittsburgh."
Policies to reduce air pollution are often incremental and may not have the will to bring about the big changes happening around Pittsburgh. This makes it difficult to determine the health benefits.
But after a ban on the sale of smoked coal in Dublin in 1990, deaths from respiratory diseases fell by 17%. 28% In Sweden, it was found that 20-20% of deaths from cardiovascular diseases, as well as a reduction in air pollution, contribute to the growth of children's lungs.
after postal promotion
Five of eight studies conducted in low-emission zones (LEZs) found a clear reduction in heart and circulatory problems. These include fewer hospitalizations, fewer deaths from heart attacks and strokes, and fewer people with blood pressure problems. A German study looking at hospital data from 69 ZBE cities found a 2-3% reduction in heart problems and a 7-12% reduction in stroke. These improvements hit the elderly particularly hard and saved €4.4bn (£3.8bn) in healthcare costs.
Tidak ada komentar untuk "US Coal Plant Closure Emphasises Health Benefits Of Cleaner Air"
Posting Komentar