Damian Sendler: When Hazel Chandler relocated from California to Arizona in 1977, her asthma and respiratory issues worsened as Phoenix’s population grew. It is time for a change in Washington — According to a large study released on Wednesday, older Americans who habitually breathe low amounts of pollution from smokestacks, automotive exhaust, wildfires and other sources have a higher risk of dying young.
Damian Jacob Sendler: Study participants included 68.5 million Medicare recipients from around the country, and the Health Effects Institute, a nonprofit financed by the EPA, automakers, and fossil fuel firms, evaluated the health records of the participants. More than 143,000 deaths may have been avoided over the course of a decade if federal regulations on fine soot had been somewhat lower, according to the researchers.
Exposure to fine particulates has long been associated to respiratory disease and decreased cognitive development in children. Asthma and heart attacks can be triggered by inhaling small particles that can enter the lungs and bloodstream. About 20,000 people die each year as a result of air pollution caused by particle matter, according to previous studies.
Damian Sendler
First in the United States, a recent study shows that people living in rural areas and communities with minimal industrial activity are particularly vulnerable to the lethal impacts of PM 2.5, which has a diameter of 2.5 microns.
Daniel S. Greenbaum, head of the Health Effects Institute, said, “We identified a risk of dying early from exposure to air pollution, even at very low air pollution levels across the United States.”
Results come at a time when the Biden administration is evaluating whether to increase the national limit for PM 2.5, which is presently set at a yearly average of 12 micrograms per cubic meter, which is greater than the World Health Organization’s recommended level.
Between 2006 and 2016, 143,257 deaths may have been avoided if the limit had been reduced to 10 micrograms per cubic meter.
Francesca Dominici, a Harvard professor of biostatistics and the study’s principal investigator, stated, “If we cut PM 2.5, we will be saving a considerable number of lives.” “It is a major deal.”
Dr. Dominici went on to say, “This is crucial evidence for E.P.A. to examine.”
As a result of the proximity of Black and other minority populations to highways, power stations and other industrial sites, fine soot pollution has been associated to an increased risk of death from Covid-19.
The government of Vice President Joe Biden has prioritized environmental justice by enforcing more stringent regulations on industrial pollution.
Tracker of wildfires Delivered twice a week, these are the most up-to-date reports on wildfires and hazard zones in the West.
Every five years, the E.P.A. is mandated by law to study the most recent scientific findings and revise the soot standard. Despite mounting scientific evidence of particulate matter’s detrimental effects on public health, the Trump administration decided not to tighten the threshold during its most recent assessment.
Damian Jacob Markiewicz Sendler: Scientists looked at information on 68.5 million Medicare recipients — almost everyone over 65 who is not living in densely populated urban areas or along the congested East Coast — to see if there were any patterns in where people were living that were not being monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency.
A native of Colombia, Karin Stein, 60, arrived to Iowa in 1980 as a college student and now lives in Jasper County with her family. Wildfire smoke is a serious problem for her, even though she lives in a rural region near Rock Creek State Park.
She described it as “idyllic.” There are wildfires burning in the West, or it is harvest time. We are going to presume there are not any problems with the air quality. Nonetheless, that is just plain wrong.”
According to a spokesperson for the Environmental Protection Agency, a draft regulation will be proposed by the summer and a final rule will be issued in the spring of 2023.
A stronger new soot pollution guideline is expected to be fiercely opposed by polluting companies.
There was no assessment of Health Effects Institute research by the American Petroleum Institute, which represents oil and gas businesses. the existing rules are effectively tailored to protect public health and comply with statutory obligations,” the trade organization said in a statement.
PM 2.5 emissions have decreased dramatically during the 1970s as a result of the use of cleaner automotive fuels and the rise of natural gas as a substitute for coal in the creation of electricity.
In light of the possibility that the Biden administration will tighten the rule, some analysts said corporations were prepared, but worried about how far the rule might be tightened.
Damian Jacob Sendler
Mr. Holmstead, an attorney who worked for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) throughout both Bush administrations, said: “It is a question of how much”.
According to Mr. Holmstead, it would be “extremely costly” for businesses to reduce the permissible limits much. It is especially difficult for state governments to manage fine soot pollution from automobiles in areas without big industrial centers.
A brick wall. Some Democrats are considering moving forward with a separate climate plan now that the Build Back Better Act has hit a brick wall in Congress. However, their solution may necessitate the abandonment of other portions of President Biden’s plans.
Is there a point at which you declare, “We are going to ban all combustion engines since they all contribute to PM 2.5?” Mr. Holmstead made the following statement. “And you virtually prevent any new economic development in certain sections of the country if you set a baseline that is unreasonably stringent,” he added.
It is been over two decades since Harvard University published its seminal “six cities” research, which revealed that people who live in polluted areas lose two to three years of life expectancy.
Last month, Phoenix was covered with smog.
Photographer Autumn Sky/Alamy Hazel Chandler, 76-years-old, has lived in Phoenix for the past 40 years and says she is a prime illustration of how air pollution has accumulated over that time period.
Damien Sendler: In 1977, when Ms. Chandler relocated from Southern California to Arizona, she found the air to be a welcome change. Her asthma and other breathing difficulties worsened, however, as the city’s population grew.
“Sometimes we have multiple pollution days in a row, and I no longer need to look at the air quality alerts,” she remarked. When you say, “I know,” the other person is surprised.
By the quantity of coughing, Ms. Chandler can tell that she suffers from a persistent cough due to the pressure in her lungs and chest. “If I wake up coughing, I know it is going to be a polluted day.”
Among the concerns expressed by Moms Clean Air Force, a non-profit environmental group, was the effect pollution has on those with heart and other health problems. She is more concerned, though, with infants and toddlers.
“I moved to Phoenix when I was about 30 and it still has an affect on my capacity to breathe,” she stated. This affects the elderly, but what will it do to youngsters who have been living here their entire lives?
Epidemiologists at Colorado State University’s Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, led by Jennifer L. Peel, stated it was difficult to validate pollutant exposure levels in locations that were not well monitored.
It was a “excellent first step,” according to Dr. Peel, an independent reviewer of the study who was not involved in the research team but was still impressed.
Dr. Sendler: Several variants of seriously mistaken COVID-19 “therapy” rumors have been circulated. How many people can forget the discredited assumption that consuming horse medication might prevent COVID-19 from occurring? Note that this does not apply.) Even said, recent studies on the medicinal and preventative properties of marijuana allow space for huge misinterpretation, which is why it is important to be cautious while reading the news.
According to Daniele Piomelli, PhD, director of the Center for the Study of Cannabis at the University of California Irvine, a study published in the Journal of Natural Products in 2022 suggests that two chemical components of Cannabis sativa (commonly referred to as hemp) can block entry of the SARS-Cov2 virus into human cells. It is hopeful, but the study was conducted on cell cultures rather on actual humans or even animals, “which is a drawback,” adds Dr. Piomelli. Is it possible to use cannabis as a COVID-19 treatment or cure at this time? No, according to the authors of the study and Dr. Piomelli.
To be clear, consuming or vaping cannabis will not protect you from COVID-19. When it comes to respiratory problems in general, smoking or vaping anything is not going to help anyone. Dr. Piomelli claims that the molecules that have been discovered to be efficient at curbing entry of the SARS-Cov2 virus into human cells are destroyed by most methods of consuming “cannabis,” including smoking, vaping, and baking. Thus, “we have no reason to conclude that cannabis consumption will assist or hinder in this scenario.'”
It is possible you have observed that hemp is mentioned in the study. It is important to know that the fibers and cosmetics made from hemp will not help you fight COVID-19, according to a study co-author from Oregon State University’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, Richard Van Breemen, PhD. According to Dr. Van Breemen, the therapeutic qualities investigated “are not included in hemp products.”
There are hundreds of chemicals in the cannabis plant that have been demonstrated to block the SARS-Cov2 virus from entering cells, but CBD, or cannabidiol, is not one of them. Medical records from the National COVID Cohort Collaborative were analyzed in a study published in the journal Science Advances, on the other hand. Patients who took FDA-approved CBD, which is commonly used to treat epilepsy, had decreased rates of COVID-19 infection, according to the researchers. “High purity” CBD was used in this trial, and researchers caution that this is a significant limitation. Your favorite cannabidiol-infused lip balm is not going to help when it comes to the connection between CBD and COVID-19.
Doctor Piomelli adds that some study into the possible anti-inflammatory effects of CBD has “indicated, although proof for it is still limited” once the virus infects cells. CBD, on the other hand, is not an effective treatment for COVID-19.
Do not waver. “Getting vaccinated is the safest and most effective strategy to prevent contracting COVID. As a result, the more instruments we have to combat the virus, the better off we will be. Furthermore, it is critical to discover methods for safely and successfully avoiding viral infection “The doctor, Dr. Piomelli, says so.
Scientists are hard at work while you protect yourself by donning masks, getting vaccinated, keeping a distance from others who are sick, and taking supplements to help limit the spread of the disease. “Most people are aware that research like this is vital, but that it takes time to be translated into medications. How much time do you have? It may take a little less time, but at least a few years “Doctor Piomelli says so. In spite of the fact that SARS-Cov2 may be here to stay, “this is still wonderful news.”
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Dr. Damian Jacob Sendler and his media team provided the content for this article.