Air pollution is a health risk that can be modified
We often talk about the public health risks of air pollution because it’s a modifiable risk factor. In other words, you have the ability to fix it. The proof is passage of the beefedup Clean Air Act in the 1970s, which lowered levels of particles, ozone, lead, carbon monoxide, nitrogen and sulfur dioxide, along with numerous other toxic pollutants, by around 70 percent while the economy thrived. Gross domestic product has grown by 246 percent since it was enacted.
We left behind (sort of ) the super-smoggy, lung-, heartand brain-damaging air quality that haunted cities large and small before the banning of leaded gasoline in 1996 (phasing out began in the ’70s). “On the autopsy table, it’s unmistakable,” a city medical examiner told the New York Times in 1970. “The person who spent his life in the Adirondacks has nice pink lungs. The city dweller’s are black as coal.”
But now there is talk of rolling back emission standards for cars. Why, why, why? It benefits neither the economy nor people. It’s just one example of the push to disregard science and health-protecting regulations.
Another example — and one that should upset us all, even though there are only 50,000 folks directly affected in the U.S. — is the resurgence of black lung disease among intrepid coal miners found mostly throughout Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. It’s a vivid example of what can happen when safeguards and regulations are weakened or ignored.
The epidemic is a result of new automated mining techniques that allow companies to use what are dubbed “continuous miners” to extract coal from places where it was previously unprofitable. These machines pulverize and remove more rock that’s a mix of coal, iron and silica, the last being an extremely potent lung irritant. As the New York Times put it, “Silica dust from pulverized rock can damage lungs faster than coal dust alone.” Smithsonian Magazine reports that, “Silica’s toxicity comes from a variety of chemical properties, including electrostatic charge.”
Once, the medical community considered black lung disease nearly obsolete (just 31 cases were reported from 1990 to 1999). But the shift in mining techniques has changed that. Over the past four years, after 500 cases were reported in just four clinics, NPR did a wider survey and uncovered nearly 2,000 reported cases over the same four years.
Some sources estimate that advanced black lung disease (also called “progressive massive fibrosis,” or “PMF”) may affect one in every 14 belowground miners, which would be around 3,500 current workers. And it’s happening to younger and younger folks. There is no cure for PMF; lung transplantation is the only effective treatment.
Wouldn’t it be smarter and less costly both in human and economic terms to prevent advanced black lung disease by enforcing and strengthening safety standards for the workers?
Lack of regulatory rigor at the state level and by our Environmental Protection Agency costs many millions of dollars in avoidable Medicaid and Medicare expenses, not to mention the human toll of disability and unimaginable suffering. No one should have to be gasping for air to demonstrate just how dangerous unchecked air pollution can be.
Q: I’m worried about losing my mind as I get older. I’m 55 now. My mom had dementia in her 80s, and it scares me to death! I exercise every day, eat carefully, do volunteer work and get regular checkups. But I’m worried that it’s not enough. Suggestions?
Liz G., Richmond, Virginia
A: Various forms of dementia are increasingly common and, yes, scary. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, death rates from Alzheimer’s disease increased 55 percent between 1999 and 2014, and it’s predicted that by age 85 at least half of folks will develop some form of dementia.
However, over 80 — maybe 90 — percent of most forms of dementia are the result of longterm lifestyle choices that lead to cardiovascular problems, obesity and chronic bodywide inflammation. These conditions can cause a cascade of physical changes that make the brain slow down, misfire or mis-sort information.
Fortunately, by doing what you’re doing — eating healthfully, getting consistent physical exercise, regular checkups and staying engaged (try some cognitive training, too) — you’re lowering your risk for cognitive decline.
But your stress response (and you sound pretty stressed) can reduce the benefits of your good lifestyle choices. Stanford researchers, writing in Cell Metabolism, found that chronic stress promotes weight gain by causing your body’s progenitor and stem cells to turn into fat cells! If you accumulate excess fat, especially around the belly, it is a trigger for brain-damaging inflammation.
One research team in Sweden observed in a 38-year study of 800 women that “psychosocial stressors in midlife were associated with increased incidence of Alzheimer’s disease.”
So, add a regular meditation routine (your new stress response) to your healthful habits. A new study in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement found that people who meditate regularly over time are better able to cope with stressors. Then there’s a good chance that you’ll feel calmer and lose unwanted pounds while at the same time reducing your risk of cognition problems.
Toddling healthfully
“Toddlers & Tiaras” is the often-unsettling reality show about the competitive world of childhood beauty pageants and the fanatical parents who fuel the competitions. While we don’t advocate parents putting kids under that kind of microscopic scrutiny, a recent Columbia University study shows the need for parents to be more vigilant about what they’re letting their toddlers eat.
Turns out a child’s risk for developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can start as early as age 3 if the child is overweight. In fact, 70 to 80 percent of obese children have NAFLD.
A study published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that an increase of about 4 inches of waist circumference at age 3 doubled the odds of a child developing NAFLD or elevated liver enzymes by age 8. That causes liver damage later in life and is associated with insulin resistance and development of Type 2 diabetes.
The good news is that overweight kids who have elevated liver enzyme levels can reverse the damage and eliminate their risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. The researchers suggest that weight management via regular exercise and eating fewer highly processed foods can combat the risk of fatty liver.
Danish researchers have shown that kids who return to a normal weight by age 13 have liver enzymes and insulin resistance levels of people who’ve never been overweight. So, don’t think excessive chubbiness in your toddler is sweet or cuddly; it’s a red flag that it’s time to help your child reclaim a healthy future.