Burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests and farming livestock are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth's temperature. This adds enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and global warming. The resulting pollution affects people’s health in two main ways:
- By changing the seriousness or frequency of health problems that people already face.
- By creating new or unanticipated health problems in people or places where they have not been before.
The Connection Between Pollution and Your Health
Pollution isn't just an environmental issue—it's a significant public health concern that impacts millions of lives every day. From the air we breathe to the water we drink, pollution infiltrates our bodies and disrupts our well-being. Air pollution alone kills seven million people every year. Water pollution and plastic pollution both kill over one million people respectively each year. Microplastics in our seafood, beverages, and table salt are linked to serious health issues such as endocrine disruption, weight gain, insulin resistance, decreased reproductive health, and cancer. Check out our subpages on AIR, WATER, and PLASTICS pollution.
Why Pollution Matters
Pollution can come in many forms—air, water, soil, and even noise. Each type of pollution poses unique risks and contributes to a range of health problems, including:
Who is Most at Risk?
While pollution affects everyone, some groups are particularly vulnerable:
11/09/21
Since 2013, water utilities' testing has found pollutants in Americans' tap water, according to an EWG drinking water quality analysis of more than 31 million state water records.
11/02/21
ProPublica’s analysis of five years of modeled EPA data identified more than 1,000 toxic hot spots across the country and found that an estimated 250,000 people living in them may be exposed to levels of…
03/21/21
A new Climate Central sea-level-rise analysis identifies the assisted living and nursing homes at risk in five states. Experts say waiting to evacuate during storms is not the answer.
07/30/20
In 2000, 2004 and again in 2010, the Clean Air Task Force issued studies based on a methodology and model created by Abt Associates, U.S EPA’s own health benefits consultant, based on peer-reviewed, published studies…
10/31/16
This study from the Nature Conservancy reviews the positive cooling effects of urban trees planting on hot city climates and the quality of their air.
03/15/17
From rising levels of air pollution to increased water contamination and a widening range for disease-carrying mosquitoes, climate change is making people sick, a coalition of 11 US medical groups said Wednesday.
