Does air pollution increase deaths from lung cancer and heart and lung diseases?
Air pollution has been linked to a variety of diseases, including lung cancer, other lung diseases, and heart disease. In 1997, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) changed its air quality standards to limit the allowable amount of fine pollution particles in the air—those that are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM 2.5). These new standards have been controversial. However, a recent air pollution study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that fine pollution particles found in U.S. metropolitan areas may increase your risk of dying from lung cancer and heart and lung diseases.
