For your 'good news' file Declining air pollution levels continue to improve life expectancy in US The last part is interesting, as the study data appears to end in 2007. It seems to me a perfectly valid policy question: Should the US regulate down to squeaky-clear air, at what cost, and with what benefit? I would suggest that, as particulates are another example of a 'near-field pollutant', it should do so in areas where the concentrations remain high and not elsewhere. This may represent uneven policy, and that may come with political problems. But if that's where the science points, I would argue follow the science and compel the policy makers to catch up. Probably all of that is off the table under after the fiscal cliff decisions though. Maybe later, engage a discussion of economic benefits and costs related to pollution emission. ... Of course the news is not good everywhere Asia air pollution deaths to rise: environment group From such reports we could perhaps anticipate what would happen if the US takes 'that other' political turn to 'unleash the American economy'.
That's kind of high hanging fruit. 0.35 years is nothing How about 5 years for pedaling a bike fast. Pedaling a Bicycle increases Life Expectancy Now the goverment can't really grow bigger with the exercise route route. And it does take an individual to actually exercise, but that seems like a much better way to increase life expectancy - and if you bike to work it may actually reduce pollution. Cycling’s Impact on Life Expectancy « NWurban On particulates, industrial point sources should definitely be looked at. Before we make every new car have a particulate filter, we need to close down those old coal plants, put scrubers on the ones we keep, and pull the heavy polluting old cars off the road
Makes sense, but they should at least attempt to remove the effects of correlation from their data. A healthy fit person is more likely to cycle vigorously than an unhealthy person.
Maybe it's unemployment that contributes more to clean air than any regulations issued during the study timeframe. If so, we'll all be breathing easy with the boatload of new EPA regs that will be unleashed next year. Bureau of Labor Statistics Data
I took a statistics class where the professor showed a strong correlation between the number of panhandlers in a small downtown park and CO levels at a busy intersection near there.
In these studies they do remove people that have health issues or injuries that prevent exercise, but that is a small portion of the population. If you are sedentary it is often a choice, and you can work up to vigorous exercise. So yes if one has made a choice to exercise vigorously, actually do the work, they are likely to be more healthy, which is why life expectancy is expected to go up. Now on particulates there are a number of factors that normally get brought up Note one of the factors is overall health. So my question on government forced spending on something like the truck rule, perhaps some intelegent rules that actually effect outcomes in a statistically significant way. I cant imagine 0.35 years is a good payback for the costs of a naive program. That is not to say, we should not shut down old power plants, refineries, old vehicles.
Actually, recent evolving science suggests that even vigorous exercisers like me are harmed in numerous ways in proportion to time spent sitting. This article and others prompted me to build a standing desk. Although my Knoll Generation ergonomic chair is by far the best of several similar types I've used over the years, my simple standing desk has provided more noticeable benefits than any of them. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/business/stand-up-desks-gaining-favor-in-the-workplace.html
We plan to take the canoe back to Adirondacks for a vacation in 2013 to see if the region is recovering from acid rain. When we went there 35 years ago (with a new canoe ) the many small lakes were dead due to acidification and the big lakes pH were being controlled with lime addition. Will try to get a feel for improvement and prognosis. The problem is not just acid rain but the granite regions of the globe have no natural buffering. Have one small lake in mind as a base case (if I can just remember where it was).
