Study cites gains on pollution by cutting emissions

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August 17, 2001

From Newsday

Study cites gains on pollution by cutting emissions

By Solana Pyne, Staff Writer

WASHINGTON -- Cutting emissions of greenhouse gases will not only help stall

predicted global warming but will save lives almost immediately by reducing

air pollution, researchers report in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

The researchers examined health effects of reducing greenhouse gas emissions

in New York City; Mexico City; Santiago, Chile; and Sao o, Brazil. They

found that using readily available technologies to reduce greenhouse gas

emissions would also cut emissions of pollutants, because both are released

when fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas are burned. And those

reductions would avoid 64,000 premature deaths, 65,000 cases of chronic

bronchitis and 37 million person-days of restricted activity in just those

four cities over the next 19 years. One day of restricted activity for one

person is equivalent to one person-day.

The air in New York is generally cleaner than in the other three cities,

said Thurston, a co-author on the paper and an associate professor of

environmental medicine at New York University School of Medicine. However,

the city's pollution is proportionally more toxic, he said, because it

contains a greater proportion of smaller pollutants, which tend to cause

more health damage.

In the United States, reducing emissions from older coal-fired power plants

could save 18,700 lives, 3 million lost workdays and 16 million

restrained-activity days each year, according to estimates the researchers

cited in the paper.

The recent study looks at the climate debate from a different angle. Many of

the common arguments for slashing emissions of greenhouse gases focus on

avoiding the potentially apocalyptic, but less immediate, effects of global

climate change -- flooding, landslides, frequent and severe hurricanes among

other catastrophic environmental damage.

The strategies the researchers of the study examined to reduce the emissions

of greenhouse gases and pollution are not extreme, Thurston said. " A lot of

it is just Yankee common sense -- like trying to use more efficient modes of

transportation. "

The so-called ancillary benefits associated with lower pollution could also

make reducing greenhouse gas emissions more economical, because so much

would be saved in health care costs, Thurston said. Developing countries

also might decrease greenhouse gas emissions while aiming to clean their

air.

Developing countries such as China, which generates 80 percent of its energy

from coal-fired plants, and India " are concerned with air pollutants, " said

Dale nson, a professor of economics at Harvard University. " They have a

great desire to improve their own air quality. They will therefore be paying

attention to the ancillary benefits issue with a view toward improving air

quality. "

The major pollutants -- carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides,

sulfur dioxide and tiny particles called particulate matter -- are all

released as fossil fuels are burned.

All of these pollutants can damage health, though the subtle health effects

have not been rigorously studied in all cases.

This study only looked at the effects of particulate matter and ozone. Ozone

forms when pollutants and other compounds mix in the atmosphere, and is

linked to asthma and lung problems.

HEALTH TIPS

When the air quality index goes over 100:

Avoid prolonged exertion outdoors. This is particularly important for

children and the elderly.

People with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should remain indoors with

the air-conditioning on. If the air quality remains poor, make sure to stay

in touch with your doctor, as your condition could deteriorate.

Those on exercise programs should work out indoors, for instance on a

treadmill. Related Stories

Aug 8, 2001

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