Vast swaths of US will be exposed to polluted air by 2054, says report
Vast swaths of US will be exposed to polluted air by 2054, says report
Researchers say the number of Americans exposed to unhealthy air will rise by 50% by the middle of the century
The report warns that climate-related wildfires and heatwaves are undoing many of the gains from federal clean air regulations. Between 2010 and 2016, the United States started to see an increase in air pollution for the first time in 80 years, said Jeremy Porter, head of climate implications research at First Street.
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That number is expected to grow by 50% in the next few decades, with an estimated total of 125 million Americans experiencing dangerous air pollution by the middle of the century .
Between 2010 and 2016, the United States started to see an increase in air pollution for the first time in 80 years, said Jeremy Porter, head of climate implications research at First Street.
The orange, apocalyptic haze that blanketed much of the continent carried PM2.5, tiny air pollutants that can lodge deep inside a person’s lungs.
The particles, which measure less than 2.5 microns in diameter, are tiny enough to cross the blood-brain barrier, and high levels of exposure are linked to dementia and Parkinson’s disease, along with a host of respiratory illnesses.
If the federal government wants to ensure cleaner air for future Americans, Porter said regulators should focus on the pollution that is created by wildfire smoke and invest in mitigation strategies like controlled burns.
Without significant governmental action, the public health consequences of dirty air will fall on the shoulders of already vulnerable communities – particularly Black Americans.
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