New England Journal of Medicine: The Clean Air Act and Health — A Clearer View from 2011

The Clean Air Act and Health — A Clearer View from 2011. NEJM | July 6, 2011 | Jonathan M. Samet, M.D.

  • From my office, I have views of downtown Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Mountains. Air pollution infrequently obscures these views, and only rarely are my eyes and throat irritated by smog when I’m outdoors. The Los Angeles air of today is far better than that of the mid-20th century, when severe oxidant pollution, initially of unknown origins, threatened the health and welfare of the city’s residents. Severe smog was a common occurrence. Today, throughout the United States, air quality has improved greatly, and the last century’s severe, life-threatening episodes of air pollution, such as one that caused about 20 deaths in Donora, Pennsylvania, over a 3-day period in 1948, have largely been forgotten. The Clean Air Act of 1970 (CAA) has driven this progress, but we now face new challenges in air-quality management.
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