Short-term low levels of air pollution increase the risk of elderly deaths

exposure to air pollution, even short-term exposure to air pollution, may increase the risk of death in older adults, even if it is within the safe range determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to a new study based on the U.S. population.
researchers at Harvard University published their
in a new issue of the journal. They analyzed the number of people covered by Medicare in most parts of the United States between 2000 and 2012, during which about 22 million people died, and then linked the death data to fine particulate PM2.5 and ozone concentrations. Medicare covers people 65 years of age or older, some people with disabilities and the most seriously ill.
the study showed that for every 10 micrograms per cubic meter increase in the average daily PM2.5 concentration, the risk of death increased by 1.05 per cent for older persons, and for every 10 ppb increase (1 pb for one billionth of a billionth) the risk of death for older persons increased by 0.51 per cent. Long-term exposure to low levels of air pollution has been linked to an increased risk of early death, according to a study published in June by researchers at Harvard University.
Currently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a safety limit of 12 micrograms per cubic meter for an average annual PM2.5 concentration, while the 24-hour average concentration safety limit is 35 micrograms per cubic meter; (Source: Xinhua News Agency, Lin Xiaochun