City Air Pollution 'Shortens Life'

The article, City Air Pollution 'Shortens Life,' discusses the findings of U.S. researchers who finished conducting a study about the effects of air pollution on people in the United States. In the 51 city study, the researchers found that air pollution contributes to many health problems, such as asthma and cancer. The study further showed that, since the 1980s, the life expectancy of the average U.S. citizen living in a city has actually increased five months due to a reduction in the amount of pollution. This has huge ramifications for any city or country that does not attempt to regulate air pollution. Because there is not a lot of pollution in U.S. cities, the health problems caused by pollution are not seen as frequently as it is in other cities such as Beijing, where there seems to be a lot of pollution. This study helps to show that pollution is affecting us directly, and that steps need to be taken to reduce the amount of pollution to which people are exposed.