IN THE NEWS: EPA's Air Pollution Standards Aren't Good Enough

In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on Wednesday, researchers concluded that EPA's current standards for air pollution contribute to thousands of preventable deaths each year.  Despite that fact that the Clean Air Act and other legislation has been helping to reduce air pollution in the US for decades, "our air is contaminated," says study lead Francesca Dominici, a professor of biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.  "We are now providing bullet-proof evidence that we are breathing harmful air," she says.

It’s hard not to panic at this news, knowing that the Trump Administration’s early actions have sought to dismantle President Obama’s Clean Power Plan and its efforts to control air pollution, in part, by limiting emissions from coal-fired power plants.  Says Jeffrey Drazen, NEJM’s editor-in-chief, "If you look at what's happening in the Trump administration, the general direction is not to clean up the air.”  

The ambitious study analyzed air pollution data with unprecedented detail, overlaying data from federal air monitoring stations and satellites to produce zip code-specific analyses of air pollution and its effect on mortality rates.  Over 60 million Medicare patients, spanning from 2000-2012, were included in the exhaustive research. The study estimates that conservative improvements in air quality, amounting to 1 microgram of particulate matter per cubic foot below existing standards, could save roughly 12,000 lives every year.  Dominici concludes that "it's very strong, compelling evidence that currently, the safety standards are not safe enough."

The study also found that African Americans and low income individuals appear to be disproportionately affected by excessive particulate matter in the air. "So this is a warning,” Drazen notes, “that if we don't clean up the air, the people who are going to bear that burden are the poor and the disadvantaged, more than the rich and well-off."

Heeding the impact of building material manufacturing--including factory emissions and their effects on our air quality--makes sense for all of us.  “Architects have a greater ability to improve public health than medical professionals,” professes Dr. Claudia Miller, an assistant dean at the University of Texas School of Medicine.  We take that charge with incredible gravity, and we continue to research and recommend building material companies and products that forward responsible manufacturing practices and take initiative to reduce risk for factory employees, their neighbors, consumers and the planet.