AOHC Encore 2022-225: Air Pollution and Health: Scientific and Public Policy Controversies

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this video, the speaker discusses the health effects of air pollution and the evidence supporting these effects. The speaker, who is a professor at Brigham Young University, explains that they have spent 35 years studying the health effects of air pollution. They first became interested in the topic when a steel mill shut down in Utah Valley and they noticed anecdotal evidence of improved health during the shutdown. The speaker conducted a study using hospital data and found evidence of increased respiratory illness during the operation of the mill. They published the results in the American Journal of Public Health, which changed their career trajectory. Since then, they have conducted numerous studies and found that short-term and long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with increased mortality, hospitalizations, reduced lung function, and other adverse health effects. They also discuss the biological plausibility of these effects, including inflammation and oxidative stress. The speaker concludes by addressing some controversies surrounding air pollution, including the existence of a safe threshold and the economic impact of cleaning up air pollution. They argue that reducing air pollution improves health and that the evidence for these effects is strong. However, they acknowledge that controversies persist due to the distribution of benefits and costs associated with cleaning up air pollution.

Keywords

air pollution

health effects

evidence

respiratory illness

mortality

hospitalizations

lung function

biological plausibility

inflammation

cleaning up