Examples from history

The “Great Smog of London” is an example of the impact of air pollution on premature death rates. During a single weekend in 1952, pollution from coal-burning fireplaces was trapped over the city during a cold-weather inversion. The pollution exposure during that one single weekend caused more than 12,000 premature deaths and according to a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, there was a significant increase in adult and childhood asthma cases following the event (5)(6).

In ancient times, air quality was also a cause of premature death. Researchers from the University of Manchester (U.K.) studied 15 lungs from ancient Egyptian mummies. They found high levels of particulates and lung scarring in all of them (7). The source of the particulates is believed to have been sandstorms and burning fossil fuels.