Doctor Leaves ER to Address the Root of the Pollution Problem

photo credit: Robert S. Donovan's Flickr photostream (CC)

In a recent interview by Hamida Kinge, Dr. John G. Miller discusses the hazardous effects of air pollution on public health in Long Beach and my smog-filled hometown, Los Angeles.
About ten years ago, Dr. John G. Miller, 62, grew dismayed at seeing so many patients in cardiac arrest or suffering from severe respiratory illnesses related to air pollution coming from the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The ports… are the single largest source of pollution in the South Coast Air Basin, responsible for… staggering amounts of smog and fine particle pollution. That pollution is linked to premature death, severe respiratory illnesses, birth defects and cancer.
Dr. Miller, keenly cognizant of the deleterious effects of pollution on health, turned to environmental activism, hoping to treat the roots of the health problems his patients were faced with, rather than just the resultant diseases. In his words:

I realized that if I could be helpful in diminishing the air pollution by even a few micrograms per cubic meter of this fine particle air pollution I’d save many more lives than I ever would as an ER doctor.

As a doctor, Dr. Miller saw countless patients with symptoms and illnesses caused by the horrible air pollution in the South Coast Air Basin, including a non-smoking associate who developed lung cancer at the age of 48, likely due to pollution. Air pollution is contributing to asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart attacks, cancer and strokes. Check out the full interview to see what Dr. Miller is doing to help stop the pollution behind so many health issues.