For Immediate Release
Contact:
Diane Maple
202/785-3355
EPA Report Finds Clean Air Act Saves Lives, Benefits Economy
Washington, D.C., October 21, 1997 ó Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a report that studied the costs and benefits of implementing the Clean Air Act between 1970 and 1990. The report found that each year more than 200,000 premature deaths and 18 million illnesses are avoided due to lower air pollution levels.
"This study shows that the Clean Air Act is saving millions of Americans from death and disease while providing large benefits to the nation's economy," said John R. Garrison, Managing Director of the American Lung Association. "Clearly, this law is a great public health success story."
The report examined the direct costs and benefits of implementing the Clean Air Act from 1970 to 1990. EPA calculated that the cost of implementing and complying with air pollution reduction rules totaled $523 billion over the 20-year period, while benefits totaled $22.2 trillion. EPA calculated the net economic benefit to the economy to be $21.7 trillion. Even when EPA, in response to critics, recalculated the benefits and assigned much lower monetary values to the adverse health effects avoided, the agency still found the act yielded a $13.7 trillion benefit over 20 years.
In 1990 alone, the reductions in air pollution resulted in a yearly benefit to public health through the avoidance of millions of adverse health effects. The list of adverse health effects avoided in 1990 includes: 206,000 premature deaths, 18 million cases of acute bronchitis and respiratory illness, and 89,000 hospital admissions for respiratory causes. EPA calculated the net benefit to the economy from the added health protection to the public that year to be worth $1.2 trillion.
"Imagine if EPA had capitulated in the past to critics who claimed the science and costs did not justify health protective air quality standards. As a nation, we would be far less healthy and much poorer," said Garrison. "Critics of EPA's recent decision to tighten air quality standards for smog and soot are just as wrong today, as they were 10 and 20 years ago.
"Clearly the lesson to learn from this study is that the Clean Air Act is working well, it is not broken and Congress should abandon efforts to ëfix' it," said Garrison.
The American Lung Association has been fighting lung disease for more than 90 years. With the generous support of the public and the help of our volunteers, we have seen many advances against lung disease. However, our work is not finished. As we look forward to our second century, we will continue to strive to make breathing easier for everyone. Along with our medical section, the American Thoracic Society, we provide programs of education, community service, advocacy, and research. The American Lung Association's activities are supported by donations to Christmas SealsÆ and other voluntary contributions. You may obtain additional information via our America Online site, keyword: ALA, or Web site at http://www.lungusa.org.
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