Fine-Particulate Air Pollution and Life Expectancy in the United States

Particulate air pollution has been implicated as being responsible for deaths from any cause. This epidemiologic study examined the change in fine-particulate air pollution in 51 U.S. metropolitan areas between the late 1970s and the late 1990s. A decrease in fine-particulate air pollution was associated with increased life expectancy. This epidemiologic study examined the change in fine-particulate air pollution in U.S. metropolitan areas between the late 1970s and the late 1990s. A decrease in fine-particulate air pollution was associated with increased life expectancy. Since the 1970s, the United States has made substantial efforts and investments to improve air quality. As these efforts continue, a fundamental question remains: Do improvements in air quality result in measurable improvements in human health and longevity? Associations between long-term exposure to fine-particulate air pollution and mortality have been observed in population-based studies 1 – 3 and, more recently, in cohort-based studies. 4 – 11 Daily time-series and related studies, 12 – 15 natural intervention studies, 16 – 18 and cohort studies 10 , 19 all support the view that relatively prompt and sustained health benefits are derived from improved air quality. We directly assessed associations between life expectancy . . .