Bennett JE, et al. – In this study, researchers investigated the health and longevity effects of current particulate matter pollution (PM_2.5) levels and the benefits of reductions from 1999 to 2015, nationally and at county level, for the entire contemporary population of the contiguous United States. A statistical model that adjusted for other determinants of mortality, such as poverty, was used to directly predict mortality and life expectancy loss because of current PM_2.5 pollution. PM_2.5 pollution in excess of the lowest observed concentration (2.8 μg/m³) was the reason for an estimated 15,612 and 14,757 deaths in females and males, respectively. For women and men, these deaths reduced national life expectancy by an estimated 0.15 and 0.13 years, respectively. Thus, recent declines in particulate matter pollution in the United States have led to public health advantages. Nevertheless, current concentrations were correlated with mortality effects and loss of life expectancy, with larger impressions in counties with lower income and higher poverty rates.