California's Air Pollution Reduction Benefits Children's Respiratory Health

Children in the southern part of California have better respiratory health thanks to decreasing levels of air pollution in the state. A study has recorded lower ozone, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter in the air in the past few years.

Healthier Lungs

Vehicle-emission regulations aimed to decrease air pollution have been implemented in southern California, particularly in large ports situated outside Los Angeles and Long Beach, Reuters reported. Those regulations helped lessened children's lung issues such as bronchitis, chronic coughs, colds, phlegm and congestion.

The study -- published in The Journal of American Medical Association -- was conducted by a team of scientistsfrom the University of Southern California, assessed three groups of children living in eight areas in the state. Beginning at an average age of eight, 4,602 children from five to 18 years old were observed from different time periods: 1993-2001, from 1996-2004 and 2003-2012.

Shorter Life Spans

Study leader Kiros Berhane believes that the study's findings can urge other states and other countries to make more efforts to curb air pollution and lower the risks of children developing lung disorders, Reuters wrote. This week, a report from the American Lung Association identified many areas in California with the worst pollution levels in the U.S., including Long Beach, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Fresno and Oakland.

ALA's study discovered that 166 million Americans will suffer the consequences of polluted air. About 52.1 percent of people living in the U.S. are expected to have shorter life spans. Not only that, they are more susceptible to serious lung ailments like asthma, lung cancer, cardiovascular disorders as well as reproductive problems.

Cleaner vehicles and power plants in the country have helped reduce air pollution. However, some areas are still enveloped in polluted air. Like the U.S., China is also suffering from high air pollution levels.

Beijing Smog Moving To Other Areas

One of the countries with serious pollution problems is China, particularly in Beijing. The capital's air quality may have improved currently, but China's problems with smog aren't over yet. A study from Greenpeace East Asia found that smog from Beijing is being driven towards the country's poorer central and western provinces.

Pollution particulates in Beijing's air plummeted to 27 percent thanks to the government's stricter regulations imposed on factories, the Wall Street Journal reported. Those companies, however, have devised ways to get around the restrictions. They have transferred operations to central and western areas in China, where regulations are less severe. Thus, the possibility or air pollution rises in those provinces.

In the United Kingdom, experts said that 200,000 people will die with illnesses caused by air pollution, according to the Mirror. The country's air toxicity surpasses pollution limits established by the World Health Organization and the European Union.