Reference
Landrigan, P. J., Fisher, S., Kenny, M. E., Gedeon, B., Bryan, L., Mu, J., & Bellinger, D. (2022). A replicable strategy for mapping air pollution’s community-level health impacts and catalyzing prevention. Environmental Health, 21(1), 70. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-022-00879-3
Review
In this groundbreaking study, Landrigan et al. (2022) propose a replicable strategy for mapping air pollution's health impacts at the community level in Massachusetts. They demonstrate that air pollution exposure levels below current EPA standards still result in significant disease, death, and IQ loss, especially in low-income, minority communities. The authors urge for tighter air quality standards and government-incentivized transitions to renewable energy sources.
The researchers utilized EPA's Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis (BenMAP-CE) software and state data to quantify the effects of PM2.5 pollution on disease, death, and children's cognitive function (IQ Loss) in Massachusetts. They found that the annual mean PM2.5 concentration in the state in 2019 was 6.3 μg/M3, which is below EPA's standard of 12 μg/M3 but above WHO's guideline of 5 μg/M3. PM2.5 pollution was responsible for an estimated 2780 deaths, 308 low-weight births, 15,386 asthma cases, and a provisionally estimated loss of nearly 2 million Performance IQ points.
The findings highlight the urgent need for policymakers to take action to tighten air quality standards and implement pollution prevention measures. The authors suggest that enduring prevention will require a government-incentivized transition to renewable energy coupled with phase-outs of subsidies and tax breaks for fossil fuels.
This study is an essential contribution to the growing body of evidence showing the detrimental effects of air pollution on health and cognitive function, even at levels below current regulatory standards. By providing a replicable strategy for mapping air pollution's community-level health impacts, the research offers a valuable tool for informing policy decisions and catalyzing change.
