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Reducing carbon emissions could save lives, prevent heart attacks, new research shows
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New research has provided a boost to supporters of the EPA's proposed reduction in carbon emissions from the coal industry. - photo by Kelsey Dallas
Cutting power plant carbon emissions saves lives, according to new research on the way pollution affects public health. The study (paywall), published this week, will become a key talking point for supporters of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's latest proposal for carbon pollution standards.

Researchers who began their work before the EPA announced its plans and said it was just a coincidence for the study to match up with the proposed standards determined that reduced carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants could prevent around 3,500 premature deaths per year and more than 1,000 heart attacks and hospitalizations from air-pollution-related illness, The New York Times reported.

Supporters of the proposed EPA standards would likely cite even one life saved as a reason to move ahead with the plan, but its detractors are unconvinced, given the other consequences of stricter restrictions on the coal industry, which include lost jobs and higher industry costs.

"The administration is gambling with the livelihoods of hardworking Americans and is threatening to tip our country over the edge in costly and unreliable energy policies. And once we go over that ledge, there's no coming back up," said Laura Sheehan, senior vice president of communications for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, to U.S. News & World Report. She and others worry poorer Americans will be disproportionately harmed by the EPA's plan.

The new study compared potential outcomes of three different strategies to reduce emissions, using Census Bureau data and maps of fossil-fuel power plants to make predictions, the Times noted.

Compared to implementing a carbon tax or revamping existing power plants, the EPA's proposed plan, which involves restrictions on emissions and enhancing energy efficiency, provides the largest boost to public health, the study found.

"The health benefits of the rule would be indirect," however, the Times reported. Lowering carbon emissions slows the process of global warming, which scientists, as well as The White House, link to harmful health outcomes.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, climate change indirectly by causing temperature increases and severe weather events can lead to heightened rates of respiratory illnesses, storm-related injuries and deaths, allergies and heat-related deaths.

Under the EPA's proposed plan, carbon dioxide emissions from existing coal plants could be cut by as much as 30 percent by 2030, compared with 2005 levels, The Washington Post reported last summer. Existing plants were targeted because of their age and relative inefficiency compared to newer developments.

The current proposal will allow states to design their own plans to meet lowered carbon emissions standards, the Times noted.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.