Contributors

Tuesday, April 07, 2020

More Blood on Trump's Hands

In the middle of the coronavirus pandemic the Trump administration has taken the opportunity to gut air pollution regulations put in place by the Obama administration. Most car companies didn't ask for this, and when four auto manufacturers sided with California Trump retaliated against them.

Now we learn that Trump's changes will mean even more people will die from coronavirus in the future:
Coronavirus patients in areas that had high levels of air pollution before the pandemic are more likely to die from the infection than patients in cleaner parts of the country, according to a new nationwide study that offers the first clear link between long-term exposure to pollution and Covid-19 death rates. 
This makes sense, and explains in part why New York City has been hit so hard: it has some of the highest pollution rates in the country.

Fine particulate pollution -- the kind Trump wants more of -- lodges in the alveoli, the tiny air sacks in the lungs. When you get sick with coronavirus the alveoli get clogged with mucus and blood, and you suffocate. If your alveoli are already filled with pollution particles, your chance of dying increases significantly. (It also emphasizes that everyone should immediately stop smoking and vaping.)

Why does Trump want to do this?
The Trump administration asserts that the new rule will save lives because Americans will buy newer, safer vehicles. But Carper and other critics point out that the agencies' own analysis finds there would be even more premature deaths from increased air pollution.
Trump knows his regulations will kill more people. But he doesn't care, because he thinks that propping up the oil business by gutting pollution regulations will get makers of big, heavy high-profit cars and the oil giants to spend more on his reelection. Though they all may go bust if the price war between the Russians and the Saudis doesn't abate soon.

This is just another example of how Trump is either a complete idiot or a soulless monster completely devoid of empathy or concern for American lives.

No comments: