Pollution: primary source of disease, death
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Last week, a new study published in The Lancet found that pollution is the primary source of disease and premature deaths globally.
If the findings are correct, it would mean that approximately 9 million annual deaths, or nearly one in six, can be traced back to pollution.
The study was a two-year project that utilized data from different researchers in more than 130 countries which document cases of disease and premature deaths. Philip Landrigan, dean of global health at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and co-chair of the commission behind the report, told the Washington Post: “Going into this, my colleagues and I knew that pollution killed a lot of people. But we certainly did not have any idea of the total magnitude of the problem. I think all of us were really surprised when we saw this.”
One of the main findings in the study involves poor air quality as the biggest source of deaths around the globe, with up to 6.5 million deaths linked to air pollution, which can cause heart disease, strokes, lung cancer and an array of respiratory diseases.
Also, water pollution accounts for an additional 1.8 million annual deaths. Unsafe sanitation and contaminated drinking water can cause gastrointestinal diseases and infections. The study also found that approximately 800,000 annual deaths are linked to pollution at the workplace, which disproportionately harms poor workers.
North Bay Fires
A decade ago, a series of fires in the San Diego area were caused by downed electrical lines. After the incident, state officials took measures to prevent electrical infrastructure from causing more fires by mapping high-risk infrastructure and setting additional regulations in place.
During the weekend, the San Jose Mercury News reported that after 10 years, those efforts have been stalled thanks to the efforts made by state utilities to delay the process the Public Utilities Commission began at the time.
Although officials are still investigating the cause of several North Bay wildfires on Oct. 8, when heavy winds downed power poles, transformers and other electrical infrastructures, among the leading possibilities, are the electrical infrastructure of Pacific Gas & Electric according to the Mercury News.
A report by Bay Area News Group highlights that utilities have repeatedly asked to slow down the CPUC’s efforts, arguing the proposed new rules could add additional costs to construction and maintenance projects.
The winds in the area when the fires were first reported were reportedly about half the speed that power poles and lines are required by law to withstand.
The news outlets reported two administrative law judges assigned to oversee the project granted a 74-day delay in the process per the request of PG&E and other utilities just two days before the fires began.
The North Bay fires, which the state of California endured two weeks ago, are the deadliest fire outbreaks in the history of the state causing the death of 42 people and more than 5,000 homes and businesses to be destroyed.