Arden Pope, Brigham Young University (IMAGE) Brigham Young University Caption Arden Pope's research shows that improvements in US air quality sparked a 35 percent reduction in deaths and disability specifically attributable to air pollution. The air today is cleaner than when most US college students were born. Credit Mark Philbrick/BYU Usage Restrictions For use with articles that reference Arden Pope's research. License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.