A man covers his nose during a hazy day in Singapore. Air pollution is killing 3.3 million people a year worldwide, according to a new study that includes this surprise: Farming plays a large role in smog and soot deaths in industrial nations. (Ng Han Guan, The Associated Press)
Re: “Study: Air pollution kills 3.3 million worldwide, may double,” Sept. 17 news story.
Air pollution kills more than 50,000 people in the United States each year (and 3.3 million people worldwide), mostly from premature strokes and heart attacks, according to the study reported in the Thursday Denver Post. The culprits? Power plants, automobile emissions, and — surprisingly — farming activities that combine with coal plant and auto emissions to produce deadly particulates. In Western states, vehicle emissions are the top killer. These results highlight another important reason to pass national climate change legislation — besides helping stabilize the climate, it would cut coal plant and vehicle emissions. Itap a win-win solution that should appeal to anyone who breathes.
Jarett Zuboy, Golden
This letter was published in the Sept. 18 edition.
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