Cutting air pollution has an instant impact on heart health, experts believe, after reviewing studies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The work in the Journal of the American Medical Association involved medical tests on 125 volunteers living in one of the world’s most polluted cities. When pollution dipped during the Games, the researchers saw significant signs of better health among the volunteers. They say this is “biological proof” that pollution can harm the heart.

China took major steps to improve Beijing air quality for the 2008 Olympic Games after the International Olympic Committee had warned of some events being postponed. China managed to clean up its air that summer by closing factories and allowing cars on the roads only every other day. There were concerns at the time that air quality could prove hazardous to the health of athletes and spectators.

The team at the University of Southern California took blood samples from the healthy volunteers both before and after the Games – when pollution levels were high – as well as during the Games, when the levels were much lower. This was to see if changing levels of air pollution had any effect on heart risk. Specifically, they measured blood pressure and looked for blood markers linked to clotting and inflammation – known risk factors for heart disease.

They saw big improvements in these measures when the pollution levels went down.

Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study’ s lead author, Prof Junfeng Zhang, said: “We believe this is the first major study to clearly demonstrate that changes in air pollution exposure affect cardiovascular disease mechanisms in healthy young people.”

Caroline Dilworth, from the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS), which provided funding for the study, said: “When air pollution levels are lowered, health benefits can be immediate.”

But the researchers stress that their work could not look at long-term consequences, such as actual heart attack or stroke risk.

Amy Thompson of the British Heart Foundation said more research was needed. “This small study found that exposure to higher levels of air pollution made the blood more likely to clot. For someone who already has heart disease, this could possibly trigger a heart attack. If you have heart disease, try to avoid spending long periods in heavily polluted areas where possible. If you have any concerns about your condition, you should speak to your GP.”

On a recent front page of The Salt Lake Tribune, a frightening, oversized headline read, Highest rate in the nation, 1 in 32 Utah boys has autism. Less well publicized, another national story ran the same day: “New pesticides linked to bee population collapse.” If you eat food and hope to do so a few years from now, this should be equally frightening. A common denominator may underlie both stories.

A recent Stanford University study, examining 192 pairs of twins, where one twin was autistic and one was not, found that genetics account for 38 percent of the risk of autism and environmental factors account for 62 percent.(1)

A recent Stanford University study, examining 192 pairs of twins, where one twin was autistic and one was not, found that genetics account for 38 percent of the risk of autism and environmental factors account for 62 percent. Suggesting an environmental and genetic tag team are other studies showing mothers of autistic children and autistic children themselves have a high rate of a genetic deficiency in the production of glutathione, an antioxidant and the body’s primary means of detoxifying heavy metals.(2) High levels of toxic metals in children are strongly correlated with the severity of autism.(3)

Low levels of glutathione, coupled with high production of another chemical, homocysteine, increase the chance of a mother having an autistic child to one in three, according to Dr. Jim Adams, director of Arizona State University’s Autism/Asperger’s Research Program. That autism is four times more common among boys than girls is likely related to a defect in the single male X chromosome contributing to antioxidant deficiency. There is no such thing as a genetic disease epidemic because genes don’t change that quickly. So, the alarming rise in autism must be the result of increased environmental exposures that exploit these genetic defects.

During the critical first three months of gestation, a human embryo adds 250,000 brain cells per minute, reaching 200 billion by the fifth month. There is no chemical elixir that improves this biological miracle, but thousands of toxic substances can cross the placenta and impair that process, leaving brain cells stressed, inflamed, less well developed, fewer in number and with fewer anatomic connections with each other, all of which diminish brain function. The opportunity to make up for the resulting deficits later on is limited.

The list of autism’s environmental suspects is long and comes from many different studies that show higher rates of autism with greater exposure to flame retardants, plasticizers like BPA, pesticides, endocrine disruptors in personal care products, heavy metals in air pollution, mercury and pharmaceuticals like anti-depressants.(4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) (Utah’s highest in the nation autism rates are matched by the highest rates of anti-depressant use and the highest mercury levels in the country in the Great Salt Lake.)

Doctors have long advised women during pregnancy to avoid any unnecessary consumption of drugs or chemicals. But as participants in modern society, we are all now exposed to over 83,000 chemicals from the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe and the consumer products we use. Pregnant women and their children are experiencing 100 times more chemical exposures today than people living 50 years ago. The average newborn has over 287 different chemicals and heavy metals contaminating its blood when it takes its first breath.(14, 15) One hundred and fifty-eight of them are known to be toxic to the brain. Little wonder that rates of autism, attention deficit and behavioral disorders are all on the rise.

How does this relate to disappearing bees and your ability to put food on your table? Three new studies show that the rapid rise in the use of insecticides are likely responsible for the mass disappearance of bee populations.(16, 17, 18) The world’s entire food chain hangs in the balance because 90 percent of native plants require pollinators to survive.

The nervous system of insects is the intended target of these insecticides. They disrupt the bees homing behavior and their ability to return to the hive, kind of like “bee autism.” But insects are different than humans, right? Human and insect nerve cells share the same basic biologic infrastructure. Chemicals that interrupt electrical impulses in insect nerves will do the same to humans.

But humans are much bigger than insects and the doses to humans are miniscule, right? During critical first trimester development, a human is no bigger than an insect, so there is every reason to believe that pesticides could wreak havoc with the developing brain of a human embryo. But human embryos aren’t out in corn fields being sprayed with insecticides and herbicides, are they? A recent study showed that every human tested had the world’s most popular pesticide, Roundup, detectable in their urine at concentrations between five and twenty times the level considered safe for drinking water.

The autism epidemic and the disappearance of bees are just two of many self-imposed disasters from allowing our world, including Utah, to be overwhelmed by environmental toxins. Environmental protection- including the smallest and most vulnerable among us – is human protection.

Footnotes

Also see: Utah’s Alarming Rate of Autism

This article may not be republished without permission from Truthout.

Left Foot Forward, one the most popular political blogs in the U.K., discusses the ethics of corporate sponsorship, especially for global events like the Olympics — London 2012: Rio Tinto and the Ethics of Corporate Sponsorship.

Click on the below link to access the Rio Tinto shareholder’s meeting video recording. It is quite long, so I don’t recommend watching the whole thing, but there are some highlights when proxy shareholders ask some hard questions about Rio Tinto’s activities in places like Alaska, Mongolia and Utah. I asked the very last question of the day (actually more of a tirade), which you can hear by forwarding the recording to 2:45.

RIO TINTO SHAREHOLDER’S MEETING 2012

Interestingly, I was being watched by RT security like a hawk. I could not move from my seat without being followed. This was less of a “covert operation” than an intimidation tactic. Irritating, was what it was, really. Its not like I was going to throw poopy diapers at the Rio Tinto board… although now that I mention it, that is an interesting idea!!

After the general meeting, Alex (Olympian mom and new Utah Moms for Clean Air Board member) and I joined the cocktail reception upstairs. Since, Utah Moms for Clean Air went to the after party last year, Rio Tinto CEO Tom Albanese was obviously waiting for us, as when we arrived he swooped right over to us with his hand extended. I shook his hand and “apologized” that I have to be so frank and bring out the “body bags.” I then added, “It is my job. You have your job and I have mine.” He acknowledged that this was true.

In the next few days, I will write-up our event at Amnesty International where we launched the Greenwash Gold campaign, meetings with British Parliament and the London Olympic Committee, our protest rally, and the new connections forged. The theme of this trip in retrospect was surely, United We Conquer, the antithesis to Rio Tinto’s, Divide and Conquer, methodology.

Utah Moms for Clean Air thanks the many donors that helped make this trip possible, especially: London Mining Network, Washington-based Earthjustice, Kent Udell, Alexandra Allred, Cynthia Pryor and an anonymous family from Magna, Utah.

HB 70, which would create Utah’s first ever air quality task force has passed all its hurdles up on the Hill, except the very last one: getting funded. The amount needed is token ($46,000), but there is a chance it will not get funded if we the people of Utah do not send out emails or call our elected representatives asking for their support. The fate of this bill will likely be decided in the next 24 to 48 hours. Please call, email or text your representative! All you need to say is something along these lines:

* Air quality should be Utah’s top priority: Fund HB 70

* Clean Air is good for our health and good for the economy. We need solutions. Please FUND HB 70

You can quickly find your representative at le.utah.gov

EVERY call/email will make a difference, so pls do this one thing today for clean air! THANK YOU!

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HB 70 – AIR QUALITY TASK FORCE
Chief Sponsor: Representative Patrice Arent
Senate Sponsor: Senator Stuart Adams

Cosponsors: Representatives Jack Draxler, Roger Barrus, Rebecca Chavez-Houck, Christine Watkins, Ryan Wilcox, Rebecca Edwards, Brian King, Neal Hendrickson, Gregory Hughes, Melvin Brown, Stephen Handy, Stewart Barlow, Brian Doughty, David Litvack, Jennifer Seelig, Steve Eliason, Dixon Pitcher, Carol Spackman Moss, Derek Brown, and Marie Poulson

Air Quality is a very important issue that impacts the health of our citizens. Few issues touch Utahns as directly as the air they breathe. It also has a major effect on business development, the environment, and tourism. This issue has never been the subject of a legislative task force or study. It is time for the Utah Legislature to begin seriously addressing this topic.

As proposed in HB 70, the Air Quality Task Force will consist of 13 members – eight members of the House and five members of the Senate. The purpose of the Air Quality Task Force is to: Review the public and private sectors’ efforts to improve air quality in Utah; and Review and suggest changes to state laws and regulations that could improve air quality in Utah. Legislative proposals will be presented to the November 2012 Interim committee meetings and the 2013 General Session.

HB 70 is intended to give the legislature an opportunity to become better educated on air quality issues, and to evaluate those issues in a non-biased fashion, so that good decisions can be made to improve Utah’s air quality. The task force will accomplish its job using factual information, good science, and an open mind to achieve Utah solutions to the air quality issues facing our state.

HB 70 passed the House, but still needs Senate approval. In addition, the bill needs to be “prioritized” by the House so the task force can be funded.

Support for HB 70 (partial list)
Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
Utah League of Cities & Towns
Questar
Waste Management of Utah
Utah PTA
Utah Medical Association
Wasatch Front Regional Council
Ski Utah
Utah Moms For Clean Air
Visit Salt Lake
Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment
Economic Development Corporation of Utah
Overstock.com
Utah Audubon Council
Breathe Utah
Legislative Coalition for People with Disabilities
Members of the Logan City Council
Salt Lake City
Cactus and Tropicals
Lewis Hansen Waldo Pleshe Flanders LLC
Weber Sustainability Consulting
Wasatch Clean Air Coalition
Bike Utah
Salt Lake League of Women Voters
Utah Chapter – Sierra Club
Hale Center Theatre
Aseda LLC
Cohne, Rappaport & Segal
American Lung Association – Utah
Integrated Lending Technologies
Vest Pocket Business Coalition
Utah Clean Cities

EPA calls these six pollutants “criteria” air pollutants because it regulates them by developing human health-based and/or environmentally-based criteria (science-based guidelines) for setting permissible levels. The set of limits based on human health is called primary standards. Another set of limits intended to prevent environmental and property damage is called secondary standards.

Click on one of the pollutants below for information on sources of the pollutant, why the pollutant is of concern, health and environmental effects, efforts underway to help reduce the pollutant, and other helpful resources.

Ozone
Particulate Matter
Carbon Monoxide
Nitrogen Oxides
Sulfur Dioxide
Lead

For each of these pollutants, EPA tracks two kinds of air pollution trends: air concentrations based on actual measurements of pollutant concentrations in the ambient (outside) air at selected monitoring sites throughout the country, and emissions based on engineering estimates of the total tons of pollutants released into the air each year. Despite the progress made in the last 30 years, millions of people live in counties with monitor data showing unhealthy air for one or more of the six common air pollutants. For EPA’s most recent evaluation of air pollution trends for these six pollutants, click on the following:

Latest Findings on National Air Quality: Status and Trends

Where you live

Exposure to these six criteria pollutants is associated with numerous negative effects on human health, including increased respiratory symptoms, hospitalization for heart or lung diseases, and even premature death. EPA must designate areas as meeting (attainment) or not meeting (nonattainment) the standard.

The Clean Air Act (CAA) requires states to develop a general plan to attain and maintain the NAAQS in all areas of the country and a specific plan to attain the standards for each area designated nonattainment for a NAAQS. These plans, known as State Implementation Plans or SIPs, are developed by state and local air quality management agencies and submitted to EPA for approval. Detailed information about state SIP elements and their status can be found on the State Implementation Plan Status and Information page.

Utah is currently out of compliance with NAAQS in a number of areas and consequently the Utah Department of Environmental Quality must soon submit a SIP. Some of the permits required for the expansion of Kennecott’s Bingham Mine are contingent upon the EPA approving the SIP submitted by Utah.