The Biggest Public Health Threat No One Is Talking About.

[Stuart G]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/the-biggest-public-health-threat-nobody-is-talking-about

Talking Points Memo

Doug Brugge – December 10, 2013, 6:00 AM EST1942

What people cannot see can be very harmful. In 2012, a report on the Global Burden of Disease found that pollution from dangerous tiny particles and droplets in the air – what scientists call “fine particulate matter” – is among the leading causes of death and severe disability. According to estimates in this report, over 3.2 million deaths per year may be attributable to people breathing dangerous particles in their general environment.


The good news is that over many decades, America has figured out how to reduce emissions of fine particulate matter from smoke stacks and tail pipes, phasing in increasingly effective pollution-reducing technologies.

The bad news is that there is another kind of air pollution from even tinier particles – “ultrafine particles” – that are concentrated next to freeways and other places with a lot of motor vehicle traffic. Pockets of this kind of invisible, odorless and often overlooked pollution may be especially dangerous for people who live and work next to busy highways. Researchers are only just beginning to quantify the dangers and find ways to protect people’s health.

Many people suppose that respiratory diseases are the main risk from breathing in polluted air, but in fact the major health risks are from cardiovascular diseases. Breathing in particles from vehicle emissions, power plants, or burning fuels causes inflammation that spreads throughout the body in the blood, contributing to hardening of the arteries and increased risks for heart attacks and strokes.

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Why aren't people talking about this...I will tell you why. Lots and lots of people live near freeways. Lots of businesses are near freeways. So, what would happen to real estate values if it were found out that people were much more likely to get heart disease if they breath in "ultrafine particles" that exist in very high quantities near freeways?

This is not a "nice story" but it is the truth. The story speaks for itself.

[frazzled]

1. I thought your header meant ...

TPM was the major public health threat no one is talking about.

[Stuart G]

2. Removed... thank you

[KT2000]

3. real estate values

are a leading cause of pollution related illnesses.
Have seen how this works first hand - grassroots effort to get rid of pollution source gets going, real estate groups warn of decreased values and the grass root effort stops!

[blkmusclmachine]

4. There is no will power in DC to seriously discuss anything environmental.

Oh, sure, they'll schedule their phony "summits" in lush vacation getaways, but you KNOW there will be ZERO action accomplished. It's all for show, people. All for show. And the planet dies a little more each day.

[Uncle Joe]

5. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Stuart G.