Public Health Protections Landmark law saved 160,000 lives
in 2010 alone
Washington, March 1, 2011 - A report
released today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
estimates that the benefits of reducing fine particle and ground
level ozone pollution under the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments will
reach approximately $2 trillion in 2020 while saving 230,000 people
from early death in that year alone.
The report studied the effects of the Clean Air Act
updates on the economy, public health and the environment between
1990 and 2020.
The EPA report received extensive review and input from the
Council on Clean Air Compliance Analysis, an independent panel of
distinguished economists, scientists and public health experts
established by Congress in 1991.
"The Clean Air Act's decades-long
track record of success has helped millions of Americans live
healthier, safer and more productive lives." EPA Administrator Lisa
P. Jackson. "This report outlines
the extraordinary health and economic benefits of one of our
nation's most transformative environmental laws and demonstrates
the power of bipartisan approaches to protecting the health of the
American people from pollution in our environment."
"The Benefits and Costs of the Clean Air Act from 1990 to
2020" shows that the benefits of avoiding early death, preventing
heart attacks and asthma attacks, and reducing the number of sick
days for employees far exceed costs of implementing clean air
protections. These benefits lead to a more productive workforce,
and enable consumers and businesses to spend less on health care
-all of which help strengthen the economy.
In 2010 alone, the reductions in fine particle and ozone
pollution from the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments prevented more
than:
- 160,000 cases of premature mortality
- 130,000 heart attacks
- 13 million lost work days
- 1.7 million asthma attacks
In 2020, the study projects benefits will be even greater,
preventing more than:
- 230,000 cases of premature mortality
- 200,000 heart attacks
- 17 million lost work days
- 4 million asthma attacks
This report estimates only the benefits from the 1990
Clean Air Act amendments. The 1990 Clean Air Act amendments built
on the significant progress made in improving the nation's air
quality through the Clean Air Act of 1970 and its 1977 amendments.
The overall benefits of the Clean Air Act exceed the benefits
estimated in this report, with millions of lives saved since
1970.
The report is the third in a series of EPA studies required
under the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments that estimate the benefits
and costs of the act. The reports are intended to provide Congress
and the public
with comprehensive, up-to-date, peer-reviewed information on
the Clean Air Act's social benefits and costs, including
improvements in human health, welfare, and ecological resources, as
well as the impact of the act's provisions on the U.S.
economy.
Check here for more information and a copy of the
summary report