Lower Air Pollution Means Longer Life

thefickler writes "A new study by the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has found a strong link between air quality and life expectancy. The researchers looked at air pollution, deaths and census data for 51 metropolitan areas between 1978 and 2001, and what they found was a direct correlation between improving air quality and extending life expectancy. People lived about 2.72 years longer over that time span and at least 15 percent of that increased life expectancy was from a decrease in air pollution."

Comments

Re:It's not the heat...

[MadUndergrad]

More recently than that, actually. The Great Smog of 1952. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_smog

Re:They needed a study?

[overzero]

It's more than that. While "lower air pollution equals longer life" is a safe assumption at this point, "A decrease in air pollution amounting to 10 micrograms per cubic meter of of (sic) particulates in the air led to an additional .61 years of life" is not so obvious, nor is it even obvious how direct or significant the correlation would be.

Re:Air quality is for socialists.

[flajann]

The kind of freedom I am into is freedom for the individual. You are free to do whatever you want as long as it does no unwanted harm to others.

This is the old adage that "Your freedom ends where my nose begins."

So corporations are also free as long as they do no harm to individuals. Iron Fists are excluded. And the free consumer is educated as to what the corporations are doing, and will "vote" with his wallet where he wishes to do business.

So corporations who violate these principles will find themselves out of business before long.

So everyone is free to do what he or she wants. Free to marry and engage in consensual relationships, free to do drugs, free to have sex, free to do whatever as long as it does no harm.

Government would also be out of the business of policing families, except where there is *real* harm being done, etc.

Government's other role would be to enforce contractual arrangements. You signed your name on the dotted line? You live up to that contract. You breach? You pay the penalty. Moreover, others will know you are not too trustworthy and will refuse to do business with you.

I thought this was all obvious. Because we can't have mutual freedom unless we also have mutual respect.

And the era of "big government", with all the collusion and corruption that entails, would be over.

Re:They needed a study?

[Anonymous Coward]

*pats you on the back*

Re:Country living less stressful?

[Klaus_1250]

Don't have any links at hand, but there is some research that concluded that urban-life induces stress. Apparently, some people naturally go into stress mode in crowded places, which are fairly common in urban environments. All the noises, moving vehicles, flashing lights, etc can also induce additional stress.