Replacing gas vehicles with electric cars could prevent new cases of childhood asthma

till One-third of all new asthma cases Each year is attributed to harmful air pollutants emitted by gas-powered automobiles.

Talk about this, Our recent study It is found that about half of all gas-powered vehicles with electric vehicles may be sufficient to reduce childhood asthma cases from pollution.

As researchers have studied the intersection of transport, climate change and public health, we wanted to understand whether the sale of electric vehicles is having any effect on human health. Looking at Growing electric vehicle market In the United States, we checked the growth that this increase was on population health.

We chose childhood asthma as a proxy due to a widespread impact on the population. nearby 5 million American children were suffering from asthma In 2019. This statistical Has not changed enough Since then.

Several studies have shown that in contact with air pollutants Nitrogen Dioxide and Particulate MatterGas-powered automobile telpipe when they burn fossil fuels, one is connected with one The risk of development of asthma increasedOur study makes it on the road by checking the number of gas-powered and the number of electric vehicles and the number of new childhood cases annually.

Vehicle sale check

we used Publicly available data Center for American Center Disease Control and Prevention on American Center on Asthma. then we Created a burden-disserting model To separate new cases of childhood asthma which were associated with traffic related air pollution. We included the data collected between 2013 and 2019 from all 50 American states and Colombia districts.

We found that Every 1,000 new gas operated Vehicles were sold, a new case of childhood asthma. Our research has shown that replacing about 21% of these sales with electric vehicles seems sufficient to prevent increasing asthma rates due to the sale of new vehicles. However, this number varies depending on the state and various factors-as the population density and the number of existing gas-powered vehicles on the road.

For example, in some states, replacing only 7% of the sales of gas car with electric vehicles may be sufficient to prevent increasing asthma rates due to new vehicle sales. But in other states, 42% of the sales of the new car had to have an electric vehicle to make any impact.

A large ratio of old, gas -powered vehicles on a high population density and road will probably be the greatest health benefits by switching on electric vehicles.

Our findings indicate that the growth of electric vehicles on the road already has an average public health benefit in the US. This effect will deepen in states with zero-enforcement vehicle program, because 63% of all new electric vehicles Between 2013 and 2019, they were sold in states with these mandates.

In 2021 (at the time of this study), 10 American states had rules promoting electric vehicles, including: California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Main, New Jersey, New York, Oregan, Road Island and Vermont.

Our findings underline the immediate requirement of policies that accelerate the replacement of chronic, fossil-fuel-operated vehicles with electric vehicles. It will also be important for policy makers to find ways to make electric vehicles more accessible to low -income homes, because they are Inconsistently affected by traffic related air pollution,

Not just a solution

We do not want readers to assume that putting more electric vehicles on the road is the only solution to improve children’s health.

First, it is important to note that the decrease in childhood asthma rates only appears when electric vehicles are sold as a replacement of gas-powered vehicles. This means that when people buy an electric vehicle as another car, it will not be associated with the same health benefits.

Second, electric vehicles – along with any other vehicle, contribute to air pollution emissions in other ways. This is why our research indicates completely changing all gas-powered automobiles with electric vehicles for public health.

Whereas asthma burden should be reduced due to reducing the stake of 36% -77% fleet of electric vehicles Nitrogen dioxide emitted From gas -powered automobiles, it Does not eliminate all pollutants Which are manufactured by vehicles.

For example, there are all particulate matter from brake wear, tire wear and road dust Is associated with adverse health effectsAs respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The actual reduction in pollution also depends on driving behavior, as plug-in can work on both hybrid gas and electricity.

Alternative forms of transport are still important to reduce the total number of cars on the road and eventually improve public health.

For electric vehicles being really beneficial, it is also important to ensure that the power required to charge their battery comes from clean sources. If electric coal or other fossil-fuel-based sources come from, we are only transferring pollution from urban centers to the communities living near power plants.

Other important limitations of electric vehicle technology are included Battery recyclingSocial injustice in Acquisition of raw materials For battery production and Right to repair,

The bottom line is that while electric vehicles need to move away from fossil fuel-based vehicles, they are not a complete solution. We need to promote and invest in public transit and biking infrastructure to improve air quality and public health.

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