Environmental Medicine

Air Pollution

What is air pollution?

Air pollution is the presence of noxious substances in the air that we breathe. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

In 1990, American industry emitted more than 2.4 billion pounds of toxic pollutants into the atmosphere.
In 1991, 98 areas exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended levels for ozone, and an estimated 140 million Americans lived in those areas.
Also in 1991, 76 areas exceeded recommended levels for carbon monoxide, 70 for particulate matter, and 50 for sulfur dioxide.

The health effects on people because of air pollution are numerous. Air pollution levels are associated with increased respiratory health problems, including asthma. According to the Healthy People 2000 report, each year in the United States:

Health costs of human exposure to outdoor air pollutants range from $40 to $50 billion.
An estimated 50,000 to 120,000 premature deaths are associated with exposure to air pollutants.
Each year, people with asthma collectively experience more than 100 million days of restricted activity.
Costs for asthma exceed $4 billion.
Close to 4,000 people die of asthma each year.

Preventing air pollution is a major project of public health and environmental agencies.

This page was last updated on: September 25, 2006.

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