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Stockton Bermingham

BIO 1090
News Analysis No. 1

Science Daily - Study of US Seniors Strengthens Link Between Air Pollution and
Premature Death, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Science Daily recently reported that Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health
studied 60 million Americans — which was 97% of the United States population of
people that are 65 and older — and saw that long-term exposure to airborne fine air
particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone increases the risk of premature death, even when
the exposure to the pollution is at levels below the National Ambient Air Quality
Standards (NAAQS). To do this, Harvard’s Chan School examined Medicare claims of
60 million Americans age 65 and older over a seven year period and leveraged the
results against an exposure prediction model developed by doctoral student Qian Di
and Joel Schwartz, professor of environmental epidemiology and the study's senior
author (Harvard, 2017).

How I hope this study and subsequently this article effects the public people and
policies of America is twofold. The first, our air quality standards should be much more
simple… 100% breathable and non-polluted air. The fact that we have “safe” or
recommended “standards” for our air quality blows my mind. Our air should be clean,
plain and simple. I would hope that the existence of NAAQS would come as a shock to
fellow environmental enthusiasts to not only raise awareness but to get people to be
more conscientious of what they’re dumping into our atmosphere. The second is
another simple request and that is for the public to open their eyes. Air pollution is
directly effecting the senior citizens in the United States.

The researchers who conducted this study consisted of both faculty and students
of Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In my opinion, this is a completely
nonpartisan group. They’re conducting research surrounding the public health of the
United States. That seems like a pretty black-and-white research topic to me. Science
Daily actually directly referenced the Harvard Chan researchers study and only one
other primary resource (Harvard, 2017). That further emphasizes just how nonpartisan
this study was. It’s upsetting to imagine that if the folks at Science Daily had to curve the
article, let’s say for a pharmaceutical company, it wouldn’t take much to turn it into an
article about the drug they had to sell that combats the effects of the pollution with
senior citizens or something. That would turn the article into an advertisement rather
than just relating scientific findings.

I think Harvard and their scientists are completely non-partisan in this regard.
This article doesn’t mention any opposers to this idea but I did find a site that thinks the
health effects don’t only apply to the elderly, which is cited below.

Something I feel worth noting is that Harvard University is known to be a


progressive and liberal university. Harvard, by simply being progressive, will find many
people that will probably try to find fault with or whole-heartedly reject or disagree with
the research results. How I see it, science is truth. It’s too bad that not everyone feels
the same way. As mentioned earlier, I am an environmental enthusiast. Climate change
and the destruction of our atmosphere is a very alarming topic that I find to be factual.
Human damage to our ozone should not be a “belief.” This furthers my resolve by
providing proof that due to pollution, people are dying. Usually, that wakes people up.
Hopefully, this study can do the same.

I think that Science Daily did a wonderful job relaying the study’s findings. It is a
website dedicated to science and therefore the authors didn’t feel the need to even try
to thwart the reader or hide an agenda. The information provided in the article was
clear, concise and according to my knowledge and research, unaltered.
Stockton Bermingham
BIO 1090

Works Cited

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. "Study of US seniors strengthens link
between air pollution and premature death." ScienceDaily. Last Modified June 28, 2017.
Accessed July 14, 2017. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170628183211.htm

Abraham, John. "Medical scientists report on the impact climate change is having on
health | John Abraham." The Guardian. May 05, 2017. Accessed July 15, 2017. https://
www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2017/may/05/
medical-scientists-report-on-the-impact-climate-change-is-having-on-health.

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