Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
International

Trees saving 850 human lives a year in US: Study

Darpan News Desk IANS, 28 Jul, 2014 07:37 AM
  • Trees saving 850 human lives a year in US: Study
Trees are saving more than 850 human lives a year and preventing almost 670,000 incidences of acute respiratory symptoms, says an estimate of air pollution removal by trees in the US by the US Forest Service scientists and collaborators.
 
While the pollution removal by trees equated to an average air quality improvement of less than 1 percent, the impacts of that improvement were substantial.
 
Researchers valued the human health effects of the reduced air pollution at nearly $7 billion (Rs.42,000 crore) every year.
 
"With more than 80 percent of Americans living in urban area, this research underscores how truly essential urban forests are to people across the nation," said Michael Rains, director Northern Research Station, US Forest Service.
 
The study considered four pollutants for which the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established air quality standards: nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) in aerodynamic diameter.
 
Health effects related to air pollution include impacts on pulmonary, cardiac, vascular, and neurological systems. In the United States, approximately 130,000 PM2.5-related deaths and 4,700 ozone-related deaths in 2005 were attributed to air pollution.
 
Tree cover in the United States is estimated at 34.2 percent but varies from 2.6 percent in North Dakota to 88.9 percent in New Hampshire.
 
"In terms of impacts on human health, trees in urban areas are substantially more important than rural trees due to their proximity to people," Dave Nowak from US Forest Service noted.
 
The study appeared in the journal Environmental Pollution.

MORE International ARTICLES

North Korea Fired Two Short-Range Missiles: South Korea

North Korea Fired Two Short-Range Missiles: South Korea
North Korea fired off two medium-range ballistic missiles Wednesday morning in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions, South Korea's defence ministry said.

North Korea Fired Two Short-Range Missiles: South Korea

Hunt for lost Malaysian jet to resume Wednesday

Hunt for lost Malaysian jet to resume Wednesday
The search for the Malaysian airliner "lost" in the Indian Ocean will resume Wednesday, Australian authorities said Tuesday while Prime Minister Tony Abbott clarified the operation has now moved from search to recovery and investigative phase.

Hunt for lost Malaysian jet to resume Wednesday

Western powers oust Russia from G-8 over Crimea

Western powers oust Russia from G-8 over Crimea
Escalating tension over Russia's annexation of Crimea, seven Western powers ousted Moscow from the G-8 and moved to shift the group's planned June summit in Sochi to a G7 meeting in Brussels.

Western powers oust Russia from G-8 over Crimea

NEWSFLASH: 30 injured as train derails at Chicago airport

NEWSFLASH: 30 injured as train derails at Chicago airport
More than 30 people were injured when a commuter train derailed Monday morning at the underground station of an airport in the US city of Chicago.

NEWSFLASH: 30 injured as train derails at Chicago airport

Japan to turn over nuclear material to US for destruction

Japan to turn over nuclear material to US for destruction
Japan will hand over "hundreds of kilograms of sensitive nuclear material" to the US for destruction as part of the efforts to "help prevent unauthorised actors, criminals, or terrorists from acquiring such materials," the White House said Monday.

Japan to turn over nuclear material to US for destruction

Malaysian Airlines flight MH370: Timeline of events

Malaysian Airlines flight MH370: Timeline of events
The Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 which went missing March 8 with 239 people on-board shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, it is officially announced in Kuala Lumpur Monday, ended in the southern Indian Ocean with no survivors.

Malaysian Airlines flight MH370: Timeline of events