Current national air pollution standards may not be enough to stave off premature death among elderly Americans, according to a large national study. The study looked at 60 million U.S. senior citizens—about 97% of all Americans age 65+—over a seven-year period. Researchers found that long-term exposure to certain air pollutants, even at levels below current standards, were linked with increased risk of premature death. Men, blacks, and low-income populations faced higher risk of premature death from exposure to one of the pollutants, airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5), compared with the national average. Blacks were at particular risk from PM2.5 exposure—their risk of early death from the pollutant was three times the national average. The researchers estimated that 12,000 lives could be saved each year by lowering PM2.5 levels in the air by just 1 microgram per cubic meter If another pollutant, ozone, could be lowered by just 1 part per billion nationwide, about 1,900 lives would be saved annually Francesca Dominici, study co-author.
