I heard this (... reduction in childhood mortality.) in the early 60's, when
it was more true, from a Dr. trained two decades before. With the increasing
pollution, I suspect this trend will stop.
"Yes, it would be nice, I guess, for the air to have absolutely no man-made
pollutants in it, and yes, it might be nice to live the few extra hours or days
that the current level of pollution might be taking from me - but this is
hardly a crisis situation that demands an all or nothing reduction in
pollutants this very instant."
The people in Richmond, Calif. or San Francisco's Bay View do not appreciate
the above attitude. Even in the tony N. Bay communities of Marin County,
there is the suspicion the pollution from the Richmond refineries explain their
extreme rate of breast cancer.
East (and North) bay refineries process 44% of the total in California