Everyone has heard that the United States is going through an epidemic with the number of cases of obesity and diabetes. This is commonly attributed to the amount of unhealthy food we eat and the lack of exercise. However, recent studies have shown that air pollution might have a bigger effect on our bodies then we might think.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently relaxed some of its policies on its cross-state pollution rule and it looks as if Republicans in the House of Representatives are going to delay new laws from going into affect. While business do not want more regulations in a down economy, more and more studies have shown that the regulation of air pollution may be a public health issue.
New studies have shown that small particulate matter, which are the particles in the air from road traffic, coal power plants, industrial manufacturers, and wood fuel production, have a convincing correlation with obesity and diabetes. Low income communities located closer to sources of particulate matter have a much higher rate of these diseases than those higher income people living farther away from the sources.
No one is saying that this small particulate matter is the number one cause of obsesity and diabetes, “even after controlling for factors such as genetics, income levels, weight, diet, and exercise, Harvard researchers found a ‘consistent and significant’ relationship between Type II diabetes prevalence and exposure to ultrafine particulate matter in a recent study.” Ohio State also did research on rats and discovered that early exposure to these fine particles led to more abdominal fat and insulin resistance even if they ate a normal diet. The exposure levels were similar to those found in US cities.
I think this article from Forbes is very interesting because it connects two major problems that our nation is dealing with. If in fact they were related, then there might be more favor of air pollution regulations. While this might be a stretch, I think that we could solve a portion of the obesity problem while having cleaner air in our country.
Westervelt, Amy. "Two New Reasons to Worry about Air Pollution: Obesity and Diabetes - Forbes." Information for the World's Business Leaders - Forbes.com. Forbes, 10 Oct. 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/amywestervelt/2011/10/10/two-new-reasons-to-worry-about-air-pollution-obesity-and-diabetes/>.
really interesting post--yes, we are finding that our toxic environments are making us fatter--even the plastics we use to store our food have been connected to obesity.
ReplyDeleteSo if it is the case that ultrafine particles directly relate to obesity, what would you propose we do to fix the problem? After hearing of all of the negative effects ultrafine particles can have on us, I can't help but wonder if we would actually be better off going back to living with large particles and the effects they have on us.
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ReplyDeleteCMN 320 said...
ReplyDeleteThis was a very thought-provoking post. I wonder if other factors such as income are more of a cause than pollution. For example, do lower income households far from pollution have the same risk of obesity as lower income households close to pollution? Either way I do not believe that it is right to ease on pollution regulations due to a down economy. The negative consequences are plentiful and if obesity has been linked to pollution then the list is just growing. I think in order to fix this problem, as Holly posed, America needs to not only not ease the regulations due to a down economy, but increase regulations.
-Melissa Worker
This is really interesting. I would have never thought that there would be a correlation between air pollution and obesity. My thought process was the same as Melissa's. It's more likely that lower income families will be living in cities, in subsidized housing that is not on a better side of town, usually where factories can be found. Are the two, pollution and income, separate influencing factors in obesity, or can they been seen as influencing factors of each other. A family with a lower income will be forced to live wherever they can support themselves, eating whatever they can, which can lead to obesity, since most cheap food isn't nutritious. Also, when they are living in a poor side of town, they are also affected by pollution, causing them further strife.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think that it's important to increase these regulations, helping those who can't do anything about the pollution around their homes. Just because the increased production could help the economy, doesn't mean that regulations should be lax, as that is only hurting the American people.
I was very surprised when reading your post. I had no idea that two of the biggest concerns society is faced with are connected. This just again reinforces the importance of finding and utilizing less pollutant systems.
ReplyDeleteLizzy, as I was looking at this, I never put my name on my post. Hopefully you knew from the day that I signed up for. But if not, I just wanted to let you know.
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