Particles of Truth: A Story of Discovery, Controversy, and the Fight for Healthy Air

by C. Arden Pope III, Douglas W. Dockery, Gina McCarthy (Foreword by)

Overview

A compelling, real-life account of how scientists uncovered air pollution’s deadly impact on human health—and the contentious battles to use key scientific evidence in the critical fight for clean air.

Particles of Truth is a riveting account of the discovery of the critical health effects of air pollution told by Arden Pope and Douglas Dockery, who have been at the forefront of air pollution and health research for four decades. With an insightful foreword by former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, this compelling book provides an inside look at groundbreaking scientific research and ensuing political and public-policy battles. It presents evidence that air pollution is a major contributor to disease and death and that reducing air pollution saves lives. The book also delves into intense efforts to discredit and cast doubt on the science.

Through firsthand accounts, Pope and Dockery bring the scientific discoveries regarding the health effects of air pollution and accompanying controversies to life. They describe the real-world challenges of conducting impactful research when public health clashes with economic interests and politics. Despite these challenges, they and their colleagues persisted, accumulating evidence that supports landmark clean-air legislation and pollution reduction efforts worldwide. More than an inside look at pioneering air pollution research and the hidden health burden of air pollution, Particles of Truth is a story of determination and perseverance by those working to protect air quality and our health; indeed, their efforts have contributed to improvements in public health and an increase in longevity. For anyone interested in public health, environmental quality, or public policy, this is a must-read book that takes you to the front lines of discovery and controversy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780262551670
Publisher:	MIT Press
Publication date:	04/01/2025
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.38(w) x 9.31(h) x 0.93(d)

About the Author

C. Arden Pope III is a Karl G. Maeser Distinguished University Professor at Brigham Young University. Widely recognized as a leading expert on the health effects of air pollution, he has advised numerous scientific boards and committees and has received multiple research and teaching awards.

Douglas W. Dockery is the John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Research Professor of Environmental Epidemiology, Emeritus, at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. He directed the Harvard–NIEHS Center for Environmental Health Sciences and chaired the Department of Environmental Health.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Gina McCarthy
Prologue
1. What is healthy air, and why does it matter?
2. Does air pollution smell like money or disease?
3. Does regular exposure to air pollution harm population health?
4. Do long-term exposures increase the risk of disease and death?
5. Were the cohort studies reproducible—or just “secret science”?
6. Environmental justice and air pollution: Who pays?
7. Does reducing air pollution improve health and reduce mortality?
8. If air pollution is so lethal, why isn’t everyone dead?
9. Does air pollution research provide evidence of a causal relationship?
10. How does air pollution cause health effects?
11. Is pollution control worth the economic cost?
12. When will the evidence end the controversy?
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Powerful interests know evidence on dirty air’s dangers threatens their ability to keep polluting. Particles of Truth, by two titans in the field, makes clear just how strong that evidence is—and how critical an informed public is to life-saving progress toward truly healthy air.”
—Beth Gardiner, author of Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution

“The powerful story of brilliant and courageous public-health heroes who conducted pioneering studies on the health effects of air pollution. Thanks to them, our air is cleaner, and we breathe easier and live longer.”
—David Michaels, Former Administrator, Occupational Safety and Health Administration; author of Triumph of Doubt: Dark Money and the Science of Deception

“Two small children, Ella Kissi-Debrah (UK) and Kristina Warner (Utah), take center stage in this autobiographical masterpiece that describes a fifty-year tortuous and challenging journey to reveal air pollution as the greatest environmental risk to human health.”
—Sir Stephen T. Holgate, MRC Clinical Professor of Immunopharmacology, University of Southampton; UKRI Clean Air Champion; Special Advisor to the Royal College of Physicians on Air Quality

“Pope and Dockery describe in a captivating manner how their years-long research established that outdoor air pollution, especially fine particulate matter, is an important risk factor for death and disability, leading to stronger U.S. EPA regulations.”
—John Balmes, Professor of Medicine Emeritus, University of California, San Francisco; Professor of Environmental Health Sciences Emeritus, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley