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“ People are still dying in the United States from pollution
, and it tends to be individuals who do not have access to better housing and things like that ,” says Elizabeth Jacobs , a professor of public health who wrote about
Donora in the American
Journal of Public Health . “ But it ’ s not as acute now . It ’ s more of a long-term , chronic exposure .”
That message was echoed by medical doctors writing in the New England Journal of
Medicinee , who cited new studiess proving the danger of fine particulate matter , no matter how small the quantity in the atmosphere . “ Despite compelling data , the Trump administration is moving headlong in the opposite direction ,” the authors write . “ The increased air pollution that would result from loosening current restrictions would have devastating effects on public health .”
Since 2017 , when that review was published , the Trump administration has relaxed enforcement on factory emissions , loosened regulations on how much coal plants can emit , and discontinued the
EPA ’ s Particulate Matter Review panel , which helps set the level of particulate matter considered safe to breathee .
For Fredrickson , all of these are ominous signs . He notes that while the Clean Air Act hasn ’ t been dismantled , it also hasn ’ t been modified to keep up with new and more numerous sources of pollution . “ At the time that things like Donora happened , there was a very bipartisan approach to pollution and environmental problems ,” Fredrickson sayss . Regulations were put in place , and industriess quickly learned that those regulations would actually be enforced. But those enforcemen ts are falling away , it might not take long for them adjust to a new status quo of breaking rules without facing any consequences . And that , he said , “ can really lead to some sort of environmental or public healthh disaster .”
Lorraine Boissoneault | | READ
MORE ]
Lorraine Boissoneault is a contributing writerr to SmithsonianMag . com covering history and archaeology . She has previously written for The Atlantic
, Salon , Nautilus and others . She is also the author of The Last Voyageurs : Retracing La Salle ' s Journey
Across
America . Website : http :// www . lboissoneault . com / Filed Under : American History , Environment
, Environmental Preservation , Politics , Pollution