LOS ANGELES, Nov. 22, 2018 — A haze of smoke blankets the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, the United States, on Nov. 21, 2018. According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, smoke from the Northern California fire has begun to move into parts of Southern California, leading to potentially unhealthy air quality. Credit: Xinhua/Zhao Hanrong via Getty

More than 30,000 deaths have been linked to poor air quality in the United States, according to new research funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). And even at levels considered to be safe, researchers argue that air pollution can increase mortality rates.

The study, released Tuesday, was also supported by the research charity Wellcome Trust, and reinforces long-running concerns over microscopic pollution particles in the air and their impact on human health. It also widens the gap between the Trump administration’s efforts to rollback clean air rules and the government’s own findings on the importance of air quality.

Researchers from Imperial College London and Carnegie Mellon University’s Center for Air, Climate, […]