Clean air adds months to your life

Researchers at Brigham Young University have concluded that people in metro areas in the U.S. are living as many as five months longer on average because of the cleaner air they breathe thanks to air pollutions laws and regulations, according to a study released in today's New England Journal of Medicine.

The study cited the fact that these cities have reduced their pollution levels by one-third over the last two decades, while the life expectancy in these cities has increased by 2.7 years. Buffalo and Pittsburgh reported the biggest drops in pollution levels and also the highest increase in life expectancy over the two decades.

While this study does not prove that cleaner air is making people live longer, it does go a long way towards suggesting that the laws and regulations that are being put in place to protect air quality are a good thing, regardless of much they cost.