Respiratory emergency rooms for nearby residents fell by 20% while pediatric asthma visits fell by more than 40% within weeks of the shutdown of production by the Shenango Coca-Cola plant near Pittsburgh, according to a new peer-review study. American Journal of Respiratory Medicine. The discovery provides rare real-world evidence for the health benefits of curbing fossil fuel emissions, the researchers say.
Track health before and after the end of major air pollution sources
Located on an island in the Ohio River, Shenango plants have long been the main source of fossil fuel-related air pollution in the region. Researchers at the Grossman School of Medicine at NYU used a disrupted time series model to analyze three years of emergency department and hospitalization data to compare respiratory trends before and after the factory closure in January 2016.
They found immediate and continuous improvement:
- Weekly respiratory-related emergency room visits fell by 20.5%
- Pediatric Asthma ER visits fell by 41.2%
- Thereafter, the monthly decline in asthma treatment in children continued to decline by 4% per month.
- Long-term reduction in COPD hospitalization
Clean air, healthier lungs
“Based on past studies of general air pollution in the United States, adverse reductions in respiratory health effects are much larger than expected, suggesting that emissions from such associated fossil fuel-related sources are particularly toxic,” said senior author George Thurston.
Lead author Dr. Wuyue Yu highlights the unique opportunity for plants to suddenly close. “By tracking health outcomes before and after the Coca-Cola plant shutdown, we were able to isolate the effects of reduced air pollution and observed that cleaner air translates into respiratory emergency visits and fewer hospitalizations.”
Why this study is important
Many studies link long-term air pollution to chronic respiratory disease, but there are few opportunities to observe sudden, massively reduced emissions. As the researchers described, this “natural experiment” strengthens the strict regulation of the fossil fuel industry, especially those located near the community.
The study also used internal control results and comparison sites to confirm that health improvements are specific for respiratory disease rather than driven by unrelated health trends or seasonal changes.
The impact of public health
These findings suggest that communities living near fossil fuel infrastructure may suffer significant and rapid health benefits when removing sources of pollution. Researchers and the American Thoracic Society continue to advocate for environmental protection to support respiratory health, especially among vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly.
Magazine: American Journal of Respiratory Medicine
doi: 10.1164/rccm.20240722.0123oc
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