Fijnstofreductie voor langer leven*
Fijnstof is volgens verschillende studies een duidelijke risicofactor voor longaandoeningen en hart- en vaatziektes. Uit deze grootschalige Amerikaanse studie blijkt een relatie tussen de hoeveelheid fijnstof en de levensverwachting. 10 microgram fijnstof per kubieke meter lucht minder betekent gemiddeld 0,6 jaar langer leven. (Voor het volledige rapport kijk onderaan)
Drop in Air Pollution Increases Life Expectancy in the US
A reduction in fine-particulate air pollution in the last few decades is credited with significantly increasing life expectancy in the US, according to a report in The New England Journal of Medicine.
"Although previous studies of air pollution have provided evidence that air pollution is a risk factor for respiratory and cardiovascular disease, this is the first study that provides direct empirical evidence that long-term reductions in air pollution contribute to significant, measurable increases in life expectancy," told lead author Dr. C. Arden Pope, III.
The study findings indicate that a 10-microgram per cubic meter drop in fine-particulate air pollution yielded an increase in mean life expectancy of 0.61 year (p = 0.004). Moreover, this improvement was largely unaffected by changes in demographic, socioeconomic or smoking variables.
To examine the impact of air pollution changes on life expectancy, Dr. Pope from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and colleagues analyzed data from 211 county units in 51 US metropolitan areas, comparing findings from the late 1970s to early 1980s with results from the late 1990s to 2000s.
The authors estimate that up to 15% of the overall increase in life expectancy seen in the study areas during this period was due to reductions in air pollution.
"Not only do the results indicate that past reductions in air pollution have improved life expectancy, but they suggest that in most U.S. cities (and in cities throughout the world) there are opportunities for further improvements in life expectancy due to continued reductions in air pollution," Dr. Pope said.
"This information," he added, "may have an influence on peoples' decisions regarding where to live and it likely will motivate support for continued public policy efforts to have cleaner, healthier air to breath."
N Engl J Med 2009;360:376-386.
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voor het rapport
(Februari
2009)
