Cleaner Air Quickly Brings Big Health Benefits, Study Finds

FRIDAY, Dec. 6, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- When people are breathing cleaner air, their health generally improves -- rapidly, in some cases, a new review shows.

The report, from the Environmental Committee of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), details some of the evidence on air quality and human health. Overall, it concludes, people can reap a range of benefits when air pollution is cut -- from fewer asthma attacks, to lower risks of heart attack and stroke, to a longer life expectancy.

Some of the effects are "quite striking," said Dr. Dean Schraufnagel, the report's lead author and executive director of FIRS.