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Study links smog to early fatalities, rebuts Bush line

Short-term exposure to smog, or ozone, is clearly linked to premature deaths that should be taken into account when measuring the health benefits of reducing air pollution, a National Academy of Sciences review said.

The findings contradict arguments made by White House officials that the connection between smog and premature death is not clear and that the number of saved lives should not be calculated in determining clean air benefits.

The report released yesterday by a panel of the academy’s National Research Council said that government “should give little or no weight” to such arguments.

“The committee has concluded from its review of health-based evidence that short-term exposure to ambient ozone is likely to contribute to premature deaths,” the 13-member panel said.

It said that “studies have yielded strong evidence that short-term exposure to ozone can exacerbate lung conditions, causing illness and hospitalization and can potentially lead to death.”

The panel examined short-term exposure — up to 24 hours — to high levels of ozone, but said more studies were needed on long-term chronic exposure where the risk of premature death “may be larger than those observed in acute effects studies alone.”

Ground-level ozone is formed from nitrogen oxide and organic compounds created by burning fossil fuels and is demonstrated often by the yellow haze or smog that lingers in the air. Ozone exposure is a leading cause of respiratory illnesses and especially affects the elderly, those with respiratory problems and children.

While premature deaths from ozone exposure is greater among individuals with lung and heart disease, the report said such deaths are not restricted to people who are at a high risk of death within a few days.

The scientists said they could not determine, based on a review of health studies, whether there is a threshold below which no fatalities can be assured from ozone exposure. If there is such a point, it is below the ozone levels allowed for public health.

Environmentalists and health advocates have argued that a string of health studies and surveys show that exposure to smoggy air not only aggravates respiratory problems, but annually causes thousands of deaths.

But in a number of instances the US Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which reviews regulations, have been at odds over the certainty of a link.

The academy’s report “could have important consequences” on such future disputes, said attorney Vicky Patton of the advocacy group Environmental Defense.

She said the OMB in a number of air pollution regulations has sought to minimize the link between pollution and premature deaths, resulting in a lower calculation of health benefits from pollution reductions.
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