Overview

• The study, published online July 22 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, links the 2016 shutdown to both immediate and sustained lung health improvements
• Respiratory emergency department visits fell about 20 percent within weeks of the plant’s closure and pediatric asthma visits declined 41 percent in the first month
• Pediatric asthma emergency visits continued to decrease by roughly 4 percent each month through the end of the study period
• Comparisons with zip codes near an operating Clairton plant and an unexposed urban area in Johnstown strengthened causal inferences
• Publication in a leading American Thoracic Society journal underscores the findings’ relevance for industrial emissions regulations