Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday November 15 2017, @12:28AM   Printer-friendly
from the weak-in-the-knees dept.

Air pollution has been linked to weakening of bones:

Poor air quality may be a modifiable risk factor for osteoporosis and bone fractures, especially among people living in low-income communities, according to a newly published analysis of data from two independent studies.

In one study researchers documented higher rates of hospital admissions for bone fractures in communities exposed to elevated levels of ambient particulate matter (PM2·5) air pollution in an analysis of data on more than nine million Medicare enrollees.

In another 8-year follow-up of approximately 700 middle-age, low-income adults participating in a bone health study, participants living in areas with relatively high levels of PM2·5 and black carbon vehicle emissions had lower levels of a key calcium and bone-related hormone and greater decreases in bone mineral density than participants exposed to lower levels of these air pollutants.

All associations were linear and observed -- at least for part of the PM2·5 distribution -- at PM2·5 concentrations below the annual average limits set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (12 μg/m3) and most other industrialized nations.

[...] The researchers acknowledged multiple limitations in both studies, which limit the ability to establish causality. But in an editorial [open, DOI: 10.1016/S2542-5196(17)30143-2] [DX] published with the studies, Tuan Nguyen, PhD, of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in New South Wales, Australia, wrote that the studies are just the latest in a growing body of research linking air pollution exposure to osteoporosis: "Osteoporosis and its consequence of fragility fracture represent one of the most important public health problems worldwide because fracture is associated with increased mortality."

Association of air particulate pollution with bone loss over time and bone fracture risk: analysis of data from two independent studies (open, DOI: 10.1016/S2542-5196(17)30136-5) (DX)

Related: 80 Percent of World's City Dwellers Breathing Bad Air: UN
Study Links Pregnant Women's Exposure to Air Pollution to Shorter Telomeres in Babies
Lancet Report Says Pollution Caused 9 Million Premature Deaths in 2015


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 4, Informative) by c0lo on Wednesday November 15 2017, @01:17AM (6 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday November 15 2017, @01:17AM (#597081) Journal

    Personally, we will reach a tipping point where the 1% are pulled down into the pits with the 99% to be torn apart, shortly before we all die.

    Faults (in the appearance order):

    1. (nitpicking) the "Personally" is meaningless in a phrase where "we" is the subject all over and again. You aren't talking about you multiple personalities, are you?

    2. Extrapolation from the US conditions to the entire world. There are countries in which the income inequality is kept at a healthy level (yes, there is a dose where wealth inequality is healthy). Perhaps you can consider immigrating in such countries and reconsider your human-species-wide-doom scenario.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +2  
       Insightful=1, Informative=1, Total=2
    Extra 'Informative' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   4  
  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday November 15 2017, @02:54AM (5 children)

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Wednesday November 15 2017, @02:54AM (#597115) Journal

    Recent headline: Richest 1% own half the world's wealth, study finds [theguardian.com]

    The world’s richest people have seen their share of the globe’s total wealth increase from 42.5% [theguardian.com] at the height of the 2008 financial crisis to 50.1% in 2017, or $140tn (£106tn), according to Credit Suisse’s global wealth report published on Tuesday.

    [...] The report said the poor are mostly found in developing countries, with more than 90% of adults in India and Africa having less than $10,000. “In some low-income countries in Africa, the percentage of the population in this wealth group is close to 100%,” the report said. “For many residents of low-income countries, life membership of the base tier is the norm rather than the exception.”

    Meanwhile at the top of what Credit Suisse calls the “global wealth pyramid”, the 36 million people with at least $1m of wealth are collectively worth $128.7tn. More than two-fifths of the world’s millionaires live in the US, followed by Japan with 7% and the UK with 6%.

    Is it better within some countries examined by themselves? Sure. Is inequality leading to a human-species-wide doomsday scenario? Maybe not. But it could be a factor that aggravates and leads to political turmoil in many places in the world, only to get worse as automation eliminates more skilled and unskilled jobs.

    --
    [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
    • (Score: 3, Funny) by c0lo on Wednesday November 15 2017, @03:18AM (1 child)

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday November 15 2017, @03:18AM (#597120) Journal

      But it could be a factor that aggravates and leads to political turmoil in many places in the world, only to get worse as automation eliminates more skilled and unskilled jobs.

      I think I'm gonna get myself an alternative qualification - driving instructor...

      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday November 16 2017, @12:51AM

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday November 16 2017, @12:51AM (#597533) Journal

        However thought this was funny: in the future, only the rich will drive their own car; it will be a mark of prestige, to show the plebeans that they can be in control of themselves and their wealth.
        Having a driving instructor for their progeny will almost be like having their personal tailor.

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 1, Offtopic) by frojack on Wednesday November 15 2017, @04:04AM (1 child)

      by frojack (1554) on Wednesday November 15 2017, @04:04AM (#597138) Journal

      But it could be a factor that aggravates and leads to political turmoil in many places in the world, only to get worse as automation eliminates more skilled and unskilled jobs.

      Hence the loud pell-mell rush to start banning and confiscating guns even if it takes false flag attacks.

      Where's my meds.....

      --
      No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
      • (Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday November 15 2017, @04:30AM

        by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Wednesday November 15 2017, @04:30AM (#597146) Journal

        Unfortunately, the elites have yet to legalize and provide a daily allowance of cannabis, kratom, etc. to pacify the population. So your meds will have to wait until at least the late 2020s.

        --
        [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
    • (Score: 2, Interesting) by khallow on Wednesday November 15 2017, @06:27AM

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday November 15 2017, @06:27AM (#597178) Journal
      Wealth inequality is a bullshit device. Someone who doesn't own a penny to their name has more wealth [vox.com] than 30% of the world. Most of the world doesn't try to save money and hence, doesn't have much to do with the inequality aside from skewing the results. And much of the wealth of the richest is based on extremely dubious valuation methods that won't hold up the next time a recession happens.

      In other words, we don't even know that wealth inequality is changing much less that current levels are bad or good. But it fills page and is free advertising for Credit Suisse.