Air pollution on the rise
Small particulate matter increases for first time since 2010, with concentration in Illinois
For the first time since 2010, pollution is on the rise as measured by fine particulate matter. (Shutterstock)
By Ted Cox
Air pollution is on the rise for the first time since 2010, with reports estimating it caused almost 10,000 additional deaths nationwide last year.
The Washington Post reported this week on a paper released this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Studying what’s known as fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, a relatively recent health concern dating back two decades, it found that “after declining by 24.2 percent from 2009 to 2016, annual average fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the United States in counties with monitors increased by 5.5 percent between 2016 and 2018.”
It was the first increase of any kind registered since 2010, and it bucks a steady decline since 2000, although there were increases posted in 2005 and 2007.
Reuters reported: “Particulate matter is a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets that can include dust, dirt, soot, and smoke. It has been linked to a variety of respiratory problems, asthma, and lung cancer.”
The study blamed various factors, “including increases in economic activity, increases in wildfires, and decreases in Clean Air Act enforcement actions.” Researchers specifically blamed the increased use of automobiles and natural gas, which overwhelmed declines in pollution from coal-burning power plants.
Much of California registered PM2.5 concentrations of more than twice the national average in 2014, attributed to wildfires that have afflicted the state over the last two years, but the Midwest also had a high concentration. Most of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio also posted PM2.5 levels at more than twice the 2014 national average.
“The increase was associated with 9,700 additional premature deaths in 2018,” according to the NBER report. “At conventional valuations, these deaths represent damages of $89 billion.”
The Post reported: “Fine particles can damage a person’s respiratory system, accumulate in the brain, and send people to the emergency room. The elderly appear to be especially susceptible to PM2.5, which has been linked to dementia and cognitive decline.”
The report also pointed fingers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as Administrator Andrew Wheeler “disbanded the expert academic panel that reviewed and advised the agency on its standards for small-particle air pollution,” according to the Post. “In its place, the administration has hired consultants with links to the fossil fuel, pharmaceutical and tobacco industries.”
Members of the EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee Particulate Matter Review Panel, however, banded together in September to form what they called the Independent Particulate Matter Review Panel to continue studying the issue.
Last year, the Trump administration announced new rules on coal that its own research projected would cause an additional 1,400 deaths a year by 2030, along with 15,000 new cases of upper-respiratory problems and a rise in bronchitis.
The Illinois EPA found mixed results in its latest annual pollution air-quality report from last year. “In terms of the Air Quality Index, air quality during 2018 was either good or moderate 92 percent of the time throughout Illinois,” the report stated. “There were seven days when air quality was considered unhealthy (category red). This compares with one unhealthy day in 2017. The unhealthy days were due to elevated ozone concentrations in May, June, and July. There were 22 days (20 for ozone and two for fine particulates) when air quality in some part of Illinois was considered Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (category orange). This compares with 27 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups days reported in 2017. Air-quality trends for most of the criteria pollutants are continuing to show downward or stable trends below the level of the standards.”