Since Ronald Reagan became president, the Environmental Protection Agency has placed a value on human life. If you think too long about it, it’s a bit crass, but the results are there to provide some cost-benefit analysis of pollution control. Reducing pollution can extend human life, so if the health benefits of reducing pollution outweigh the costs, then there is an economic argument to be made for reducing it.
Every administration begins to place some value on human life when determining how to manage air pollution.
The Trump administration plans to throw decades of accepted practices out the window, according to a report in the New York Times. If the EPA follows through with the plan, it will not count the cost to human health when regulating ozone and fine particulate matter pollution.
The risks of air pollution have been known for decades, which is part of the reason the EPA was established under President Richard Nixon.
Ozone and fine particles, also known as PM2.5, have long been associated with cardiovascular diseases like asthma, heart disease, and emphysema.
High levels of ozone in the atmosphere protect us from UV radiation. But when it gets close to the ground, as happens when nitrogen oxides are emitted by everything from cars to power plants, they can create smog. On gloomy days, it can cause death to vulnerable populations.
PM2.5 may be even more dangerous. Recent research has linked PM2.5 to various diseases, including Parkinson’s, kidney disease, Alzheimer’s, senileand even type 2 diabetes. Even the smallest and youngest babies cannot be helped, because the mother’s exposure to PM2.5 has been linked to low birth weight. Worldwide, as much as 10 million people die every year due to fine particle pollution every year. MAHA indeed.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco
|
13-15 October 2026
The policy change comes as data centers increasingly rely on dirty electricity sources. Elon Musk’s xAI, for example, is used Dozens of unpermitted natural gas turbines for the power of the Colossus data center near Memphis, Tennessee, the area of the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America says it has “asthma capital” due to pollution from transport and industry.
The US Chamber of Commerce welcomes the Trump administration’s policy changes. “We appreciate the efforts of this administration to rebalance regulations with a general approach. We look forward to examining the proposal from the EPA,” Mary Durbin, president of the Global Energy Institute chamber, told the New York Times.