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Cited by 25Air Quality and Health ImpactsEnvironmental Justice and Health DisparitiesEnvironmental and Air Quality Management

A replicable strategy for mapping air pollution’s community-level health impacts and catalyzing prevention

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Landrigan, Philip J., Fisher, Samantha, Kenny, Maureen E., Gedeon, Brittney, Bryan, Luke, Mu, Jenna, Bellinger, David·2022·Environmental Health
DOI 10.1186/s12940-022-00879-3PMC PMC9288863
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Abstract

Background: Air pollution was responsible for an estimated 6.7 million deaths globally in 2019 and 197,000 deaths in the United States. Fossil fuel combustion is the major source. Hypothesis: Mapping air pollution’s health impacts at the community level using publicly available data and open-source software will provide a replicable strategy for catalyzing pollution prevention. Methods: Using EPA’s Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis (BenMAP-CE) software and state data, we quantified the effects of airborne fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) pollution on disease, death and children’s cognitive function (IQ Loss) in each city and town in Massachusetts. To develop a first-order estimate of PM 2.5 pollution’s impact on child IQ, we derived a concentration-response coefficient through literature review. Findings: The annual mean PM 2.5 concentration in Massachusetts in 2019 was 6.3 μg/M 3, a level below EPA’s standard of 12 μg/M 3 and above WHO’s guideline of 5 μg/M 3. In adults, PM 2.5 pollution was responsible for an estimated 2780 (Confidence Interval [CI] 2726 – 2853) deaths: 1677 (CI, 1346 – 1926) from cardiovascular disease, 2185 (CI, 941–3409) from lung cancer, 200 (CI, 66–316) from stroke, and 343 (CI, 222–458) from chronic respiratory disease. In children, PM 2.5 pollution was responsible for 308 (CI, 105–471) low-weight births, 15,386 (CJ, 5433-23,483) asthma cases, and a provisionally estimated loss of nearly 2 million Performance IQ points; IQ loss impairs children’s school performance, reduces graduation rates and decreases lifetime earnings. Air-pollution-related disease, death and IQ loss were most severe in low-income, minority communities, but occurred in every city and town in Massachusetts regardless of location, demographics or median family income. Conclusion: Disease, death and IQ loss occur at air pollution exposure levels below current EPA standards. Prevention of disease and premature death and preservation of children’s cognitive function will require that EPA air quality standards be tightened. Enduring prevention will require government-incentivized transition to renewable energy coupled with phase-outs of subsidies and tax breaks for fossil fuels. Highly localized information on air pollution’s impacts on health and on children’s cognitive function has potential to catalyze pollution prevention.

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  • Chronic stress and pollutants accelerate aging and increase the risk of noncommunicable diseases.

    “Studies have shown that positive environmental exposures—such as the Mediterranean diet and strong community networks—are associated with improved longevity, whereas chronic stress and pollutants accelerate aging and increase the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) [10,11,12,13].”

    From The Power of Environment: A Comprehensive Review of the Exposome's Role in Healthy Aging, Longevity, and Preventive Medicine-Lessons from Blue Zones and Cilento (2025) · cites this paper as [12]

    The Introduction links PM2.5 air pollution to multiple noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and diabetes. It does not say that chronic stress increases NCD risk or that stress or pollutants accelerate aging. The cited paper supports the pollution–NCD link, but not the full attributed claim. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Positive environmental exposures such as the Mediterranean diet and strong community networks are associated with improved longevity.

    “Studies have shown that positive environmental exposures—such as the Mediterranean diet and strong community networks—are associated with improved longevity, whereas chronic stress and pollutants accelerate aging and increase the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) [10,11,12,13].”

    From The Power of Environment: A Comprehensive Review of the Exposome's Role in Healthy Aging, Longevity, and Preventive Medicine-Lessons from Blue Zones and Cilento (2025) · cites this paper as [12]

    The Introduction discusses health harms from air pollution, not benefits of positive exposures. Searches of our copy for the Mediterranean diet, community networks, and longevity found no passage addressing the claimed association; the References do not establish it either. No page numbers were provided for these sections. (LLM, conf=0.72)

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References 71 · Cited by 25

Research works printed but not linked: 59

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Authors
Landrigan, P. J., Fisher, S., Kenny, M. E., Gedeon, B., Bryan, L., Mu, J., & Bellinger, D.
Affiliations
  • Boston College (US)
  • Boston Children's Hospital (US)
Corresponding author
Landrigan, Philip J.
ORCID
Venue
Environmental Health
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2022-07-18
Volume
21
Issue
1
Pages
70-70
ISSN
1476-069X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/s12940-022-00879-3
PMC
PMC9288863
OpenAlex
W4285728151
Cited by
25
References
71
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 1
FWCI
2.26
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Environmental Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Barr Foundation
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Air Quality and Health Impacts
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Environmental Justice and Health Disparities
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Environmental and Air Quality Management
Keywords
air pollution health effects, PM2.5, BenMAP-CE, premature mortality, cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, asthma, low birth weight, child cognitive function, IQ loss, air quality standards, fossil fuel combustion, low-income minority communities, environmental justice, renewable energy transition, Massachusetts, open source software, pollution prevention, concentration-dependent effects
MeSH terms
Adult, Air Pollutants, Air Pollution, Child, Environmental Exposure, Humans, United States, Particulate Matter, Mortality, Premature

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