A new study shows how air pollution is hurting more parts of our bodies than regulators have acknowledged
People living near petrochemical plants may be breathing in far more danger than federal standards account for, according to new research on toxic air mixtures.
Amudalat Ajasa reports for The Washington Post.
In short:
- Johns Hopkins University scientists developed a method to measure the combined health impacts of breathing multiple toxic pollutants simultaneously, instead of analyzing each chemical in isolation.
- In southeastern Pennsylvania, their mobile lab detected 32 hazardous air pollutants near petrochemical sites, translating real-time concentrations into long-term health risk profiles across multiple organ systems.
- The study revealed that pollutants like formaldehyde pose risks beyond respiratory damage, including neurological and reproductive effects — threats current EPA risk assessments don’t fully capture.
Key quote:
“When we regulate chemicals, we pretend that we’re only exposed to one chemical at a time.”
— Keeve Nachman, senior author of the study, Johns Hopkins University
Why this matters:
What researchers are learning is that air near America’s industrial corridors might be a lot more dangerous than believed. When the chemicals emitted by petrochemical facilities mix in real time and people inhale them together, every day, for years, the results include greater risks to multiple organs, including the brain and reproductive system. If you're living downwind of industry, you may not be breathing “safe” air after all — a particularly sobering reality for frontline communities in the U.S. now confronting the dismantling of federal regulatory infrastructure.
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