Pollution May Be Responsible for Thousands of Deaths a Year in This U.S. City

When you think of Pittsburgh, other than the town's famous professional athletic teams, one of the first things you probably think of is the city's industrial success. Between the coal mining industry that once served as the lifeblood of the region and the traffic that ran up and down the city's massive rivers, the region was once a hub of activity for certain industries.

But all of that hustle and bustle eventually caused Pittsburgh to earn itself several unfavorable nicknames as a result.

Sometimes called the City of Smoke due to the coal consumption, Pittsburgh's air was once known to be thick and dark. And while several politicians and environmental groups have worked hard over the years to clean both the city and its reputation, residents are still suffering.

Some 3,000 deaths are caused by pollution in Pittsburgh each year, highlighting the harsh reality for those who live and work in the city, and how much damage can be done when there's no environmental oversight.

A team of researchers decided to study the air pollution in and around Pittsburgh, using satellite images from NASA to pinpoint census data, according to a study published in the Annals of Global Health.

From there, they compared those locations to records from Pennsylvania's Department of Health to see if there was a connection between areas known to have high levels of fine particle pollution (also known as PM2.5), which has been proven to penetrate the bloodstream and lungs.

What researchers discovered was that between 3,085 and 3,467 of the deaths in the region in 2019 were more than likely a result of PM2.5 exposure.

Not only did they connect the adult death rate to these particles, but they also believe that the PM2.5 exposure was responsible for 229 cases of premature birth, 117 babies who were born with low birth weight, and 12 stillbirths.

The study also believes that the pollution caused cognitive issues, which impacted the IQs of 24,604 children born in 2019.

While the study analyzed data from 2019, Newsweek says that the southwestern Pennsylvania city still remains one of the most dangerous in the country when it comes to pollution hot spots, even though new pollution has largely been brought under control in the region, and more pollution levels tend to remain under the federal standards.

However, regional challenges seem to be part of the problem, since the city's steep valleys can trap pollution in the area.

Additionally, in the winter, cold air can act as a seal on the city, holding air pollution in place by way of something that is known as temperature inversion, according to the Penn Environment Research and Policy Center. When this happens, the air pollution has nowhere else to go, and it settles in the region.

Those exposed to the air pollution may notice a haze in the air or report unpleasant smells, like rotten eggs.