"There's something invisible that can put us in an early grave. And I'm not talking about sentient AI, but something much more ubiquitous and real. While AI doomers predict the existential risk that artificial intelligence poses to humanity, air pollution-specifically, ultrafine particulate matter, PM 2.5 -has been an efficient killer for decades. Many people don't realize there are volumes of scientific evidence that link cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and brain damage to the growing list of bleak health consequences of bad air."
"Turning Back the Clock PM 2.5, produced by wildfires, automobile exhaust, power plants, and industries like mining, enters the body through the nose and mouth through the simple act of breathing. Once inside the body, PM 2.5 can enter the bloodstream and the brain. Air pollution's impact on public health and life expectancy isn't novel. In 1970, 22 years after the deadly Donora Smog Event that killed 20 people and sickened over 6,000 in Western Pennsylvania, the Clean Air Act became federal law."
Ultrafine particulate matter (PM2.5) from wildfires, vehicle exhaust, power plants, and industrial processes penetrates the nose and mouth, can enter the bloodstream and brain, and links to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and brain damage. The World Health Organization attributes 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide in 2019 to air pollution. Regulatory rollbacks exempting taconite processing and loosening emissions standards for coal- and oil-fired electric utilities increase pollution sources. Reduced federal regulation shifts responsibility for safe indoor air toward individuals. Historical regulation, such as the Clean Air Act after the Donora Smog Event, shows the public health benefits of controls.
Read at WIRED
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