Smog Likely To Play Havoc With Baby Boomer Life Expectancies

And it’s all because of the endless blankets of ever-worsening smog the city sits under every summer.

A report by the Ontario Medical Association suggests there’ll be 6,000 bad air-related premature deaths annually by the year 2026 – and at least 4,000 of those will be people over 65. 

And it predicts those from the so-called “Big Generation” will make up 85 percent of smog-related emergency room visits, the number of which will reportedly increase by 24,000 a year.

The irony, of course, is that boomers are the most likely to try and stay fit heading into old age, because they come from a generation that worshipped youth.

But that could all go out the window as smog comes into the atmosphere.

“Quite frankly, if I’m meant to die when I’m 82 and I die when I’m 65, I’m going to be very miserable about that,” points out O.M.A. chief Dr. Ted Boadway. “I’ve been robbed of a lot of good life.”

Experts have always known smog isn’t good for you. But the kind of particulate matter and the amount we’re breathing in is making the problem worse. It’s like taking up the smoking habit without ever lighting up a cigarette. “Smog actually has chemicals in it which are directly toxic to the walls of the arteries.”

If nothing changes by 2026, even those who consider themselves healthy right now and take good care of themselves could be at risk.

And the proof is evident in those who have already reached their golden years.

Trude Klan is 84. She’s forced to stay inside when the temperatures heat up to record setting levels.

“It makes you more short of breath and, you know, and can’t walk too fast and cough a lot, you know,” she wheezes.

She already takes medication for her heart and is forced to depend on her air conditioner for her survival. “I couldn’t even go a couple hours [without it] I don’t think.”

The report, called the ‘Illness Cost of Air Pollution’, warns those who are already sick won’t get much better, but the real danger may be for those with hidden problems who aren’t aware of their health woes – like people with developing or hidden heart disease.

2026 Smog Health Effects

Premature Mortality: 5,940
Hospital Admissions:17,070
Emergency Room visits:  60,640

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