Rising cases of pulmonary diseases and premature deaths
Trump’s policies risk causing an increase in cases of pulmonary diseases and premature deaths. This is according to a new and extensive study conducted by public health specialists and experts. The research was published in the journal American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and examines the impact of policies adopted by Trump during his second term. The study delves into the effects of Trumpian policies across 10 key areas, such as access to healthcare, environmental regulations, and vaccine distribution, revealing severe risks for American citizens and beyond.
Pulmonary diseases are a leading cause of premature death. The policies pursued or implemented during the first year of Trump’s second term will very likely increase cases of pulmonary conditions and mortality, exacerbating social inequalities. These policies dismantle essential health protection measures and will worsen air quality, aggravate climate change, encourage the incidence of vaccine-preventable respiratory diseases, compromise the global fight against tuberculosis, and hinder scientific progress in the field of pulmonary diseases.
Systematic dismantling of environmental regulations
In line with the President’s election promise to dismantle environmental protections, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced, in March 2025, the “largest deregulation action in United States history.” According to the study, many of these 31 deregulation measures will directly or indirectly worsen air quality. Among the actions taken by the Trump administration, the study highlights:
- Weakening of health standards for fine particulate matter pollution.
- Postponement (and possible repeal) of regulations that mitigate methane (and other) emissions from oil and gas extraction.
- Weakening of protections against particularly toxic hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), such as mercury.
- Repeal of Biden-era rules that limited carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants.
- Relaxation of fuel efficiency standards for motor vehicles and exhaust emissions.
- Abandonment of the EPA’s Endangerment Finding, the act that allows for the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.
The Trump administration has also blocked or attempted to block clean energy projects (including a large offshore wind farm in Rhode Island whose construction was nearly complete); it has eliminated green energy subsidies and electric vehicles mandated by the Inflation Reduction Act; it has mandated the continued operation of old fossil fuel power plants slated for closure and proposed the expansion of offshore drilling in public waters off the coasts of California, Florida, and Alaska. The administration also pushed Congress to revoke California’s rules for the purchase of zero-emission vehicles, a policy adopted by 12 other states.
Impact on pulmonary diseases and public health
The elimination of such policies will benefit certain polluting companies and industries, and deprive Americans of many protections, the researchers further state. The most affected will be young children and people suffering from chronic pulmonary diseases. Many health effects will likely be irreversible, as exposure to air pollution causes permanent deficits in lung development, worsens asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), and contributes to premature deaths.
Before Trump’s second inauguration, the EPA had estimated that some of the environmental standards targeted by the current administration would have prevented thousands of new asthma cases, thousands of emergency room visits, and hundreds of hospitalizations for respiratory diseases, in addition to numerous deaths. The repeal of these policies, the study further warns, nullifies all these benefits.
In the long term, moreover, Trump’s policies will increase carbon emissions, causing an acceleration of global warming, with negative health effects worldwide. Such policies will increase the frequency of extreme heat, wildfires, floods, and other adverse climatic events.
Go to the study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine