Medi watch – Jerome Watson – SCMP – Updated on Feb 02, 2009
Cleaner air increased life expectancies in 51 US cities by a “remarkable” five months, on average, and by double that in what were the worst polluted areas, say researchers from Brigham Young and Harvard universities, based on an analysis of data over two decades. By 2000, Americans were living 2.72 years longer, on average, than 20 years earlier, with as much as five months of that gain due to reduced pollution, AP reports. “Such a significant increase … is remarkable,” says team leader Arden Pope.