New federal study: traffic pollution kills people with respiratory problems

There’s a new study in the current issue of Environmental Health Perspectives (published by a branch of the federal Department of Health and Human Services) which is perhaps worth a gander. See link below.

Basically, scientists found increased death among people with respiratory disease who were exposed to traffic-related nitrogen dioxide pollution in Toronto.

This is further evidence that current air quality standards for this pollutant need to be made tougher. The current standard was set in 1971 (!)

The US EPA reported last year that exposure to nitrogen dioxide – even at levels below current standards – increased the risk of hospital admissions.

The agency is under a court order to review the current national air standards for nitrogen dioxide and propose its results by June 26.

http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2009/11533/abstract.html