--- The Fool <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/22/national/22AIR.html?ex=1062129600&en=92e7712267b251bd&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE > Draft of Air Rule Is Said to Exempt Many Old Plants > By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE > > WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 � After more than two years of > internal deliberation > and intense pressure from industry, the Bush > administration has settled > on a regulation that would allow thousands of older > power plants, oil > refineries and industrial units to make extensive > upgrades without having > to install new anti-pollution devices, according to > those involved in the deliberations... <snip> > And in a striking counterpoint to the > administration's new rule, the > department won a landmark victory two weeks ago in > federal court against > an Ohio Edison plant in Jefferson County, Ohio. > > That decision, which found that Ohio Edison violated > the Clean Air Act > when it failed to install pollution controls, could > set a precedent for > the other cases and puts the administration on a > collision course with itself because of its new rule. <snip>
Air pollution definitely affects health. Searching PubMed for ["air pollution" AND disease] pulls over 1000 abstracts. It alters the architecture of the lung (this is an 'overkill' example as Mexico City is a study site): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12727599&dopt=Abstract It increases the incidence of cardiac events (particularly carbon monoxide): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12706756&dopt=Abstract It increases asthmatic events requiring emergency room visits (sulfur dioxide and 'black smoke' especially): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9973691&dopt=Abstract Particulate matter and ozone both increase emergency room visits for several cardiac and respiratory conditions: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11051536&dopt=Abstract Small particulates (< 10 microns in diameter) and CO advesely affect the heart: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9888275&dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7785670&dopt=Abstract Air pollution levels correlate with ischemic stroke: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12215581&dopt=Abstract Air pollution levels and cardiac mortality also fluctuate together, although there is a lag and a 'tail,' and the elderly are more affected: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12842772&dopt=Abstract Respiratory deaths also rise with pollution levels: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11725331&dopt=Abstract Clicking on the Related Articles of either of the above pulls up about 100 abstracts; while there are some that find no significant impact (one in Norway, frex), most do - these are from the US, Europe, Brazil, S. Korea and so on. The impact in cities with higher pollution is of course more dramatic. It is likely a contibuting factor in the development of childhood asthma (probably in genetically susceptible children): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12758050&dopt=Abstract We already have an emergency medical care system that is staggering under the load of uninsured users (many of them working poor who just can't afford to buy insurance, and who tend to live in areas with worse pollution frex within 100 yards of major motorways); relaxing air pollution standards will simply shift the cost from the polluters to hospitals, insurance companies, and eventually most of us. In addition, a sick child might mean the sole breadwinner has to stay home to care for him/her, while a worker out with increased bronchitis episodes means the employer loses. I'd rather pay a couple of bucks extra/month for anti-pollution devices than have to pay for some poor grandma's stroke or heart attack or respiratory arrest. **From a purely medical viewpoint, relaxing air pollutant standards only makes sense if you want to increase the societal burden of asthma and bump off some old folks. [**Just a *teeny* bit of sarcasm...] But to claim that relaxing pollution standards will save money in the long term seems foolish to me, and to deny the health costs (monetary and otherwise) for society ignores the evidence in the literature. Debbi __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
