Air pollution is estimated to cause 7 million deaths a year and cost the global economy nearly $3 trillion. But is the true cost even higher? Stephen Dubner explores the links between pollution and cognitive function, and enlists two fellow Freakonomics Radio Network hosts in a homegrown experiment.
It's worse than cigarette smoking.
It's worse than wars.
It's worse than auto accidents.
Wow.
What's worse than wars and car crashes and smoking?
Here, I'll give you a hint.
Imagine you were getting ready to leave your house for work or school, maybe to go for a run.
There is some standard information that most of us seek out before leaving home.
There's this.
We've got partly sunny skies.
It's 85 south.
Wind's at 14.
And there's this.
We've got multiple accident, stalled vehicles causing major delays.
It makes sense to check the weather and traffic before leaving home.
But there's information we don't usually check that could be just as important, if not more so.
What if this is what you heard in the morning?
The level of particulate matter in the air today is above the recommended World Health Organization guidelines.
Or even this.
If your child has an important test today, or you're giving a big presentation at work, you might want to consider.