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The air we breathe

To the Journal editor:

The evidence that particle pollution shortens lives is unequivocal and air pollution exposure is the largest environmental risk factor for early death worldwide (State of Global Air 2017).

We can now estimate that particle pollution contributed to over four million global deaths in 2015. In the United States particle pollution is dominated by traffic on the west coast and by industrial coal and oil burning on the east.

The colder parts of the United states have to deal with additional problems from winter wood-burning, particularly around Seattle and Montana. Globally, breathing particle pollution was the sixth greatest risk factor for early death, just behind high blood pressure, smoking, high blood sugar, being overweight and high cholesterol. (National Academy of Science 2017)

As in much of the world, particle pollution, surface ozone, poor controls on industry, fuel and traffic. Investigations by Hagan-Smit informs us that surface ozone comes mainly from traffic exhaust and National Academy of Science indicates methane leakage from fracking.

In the United States and Europe sulfur is removed from diesel and gasoline to reduce particle pollution but is not removed from aviation kerosene.

Justification for fracking is the use of natural gas as a bridge between coal and a low-carbon future since it emits less CO2 but only if the leakage is tightly controlled. While agreement on ozone in our atmosphere was successful since we were not being asked to change our lifestyles only adjustments to our technology.

Seems like making emissions more expensive is necessary to force industry to tighten their controls on leakage and encourage use of low-sulfur aviation fuel. Tell Rep. Bergman and our Senators to support Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2019, H.R. 763 which makes emissions more expensive.

RON MARSHALL

Petoskey

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