Sarah Rothman | A country full of 300 million problems

Happy Birthday to the 300-millionth American, wherever you may be!

Wait, I think I mean: Welcome to America - you may not get a work visa, but you are the 300-millionth American!

Regardless of the origin of the American, census models have predicted that we are officially a nation of 300 million. No doubt about it - our population is growing. Every seven seconds, an American is born, and every 13 seconds, one dies.

And, as we grow, this overpopulation is going to become a huge (no pun intended) problem for Americans as individuals and for the environment.

The average lifespan for Americans is now 80.1 years for women and 74.8 for men. This is a huge increase when we consider that, in 1950, the average life expectancy was only 68.2 years. As we see further advances in medicine, we can expect to see those numbers rise. Longevity pills are on their way, and some think that the world's first 150 year-old has already been born. Maybe it could be me!

Living longer sounds great, right? Imagine what we could do with more time. Second or third careers, more time with relatives, more time to realize life's great potential. But before we start planning for 30- or 40-year retirements, we need to take a step back. This increase in life span doesn't necessarily bode well for our country collectively and for individuals and families.

Imagine Penn graduation in May, 2087. Maybe I'll be there- I would be 106. I'll march down Locust Walk on Alumni Day!

Well, maybe instead, my great-granddaughter could push me down Locust Walk in my wheelchair. I'll wave my flag and smile and sing "The Red and the Blue." Maybe I won't be alone! Maybe my girlfriends will be there too. Alex will be dating an 80 year old. Rachel will be fixing everyone's wheelchairs and designing better ones.

Wow.

But I may be the only person who's glad I'm there if I'm 106. And that's assuming I'm well enough to realize where I am, let alone recall the words to "The Red and the Blue." I could be quite a burden to my family at 106, both physically and financially. And even if I'm well enough to tailgate at Homecoming, by that age, my relationships with my children will likely be tense.

It's not going to be easy for Americans to have parents that live to 106. There's a natural progression of jobs, money and even power that flows from older generations to younger, and, with people living longer, this flow will stall.

The situation could be even worse if I don't plan financially on living to 106. I might retire at age 68, only to have to go back to work at 90 to pay the bills. It's unclear what type of work a 90 year old is suited for. And it is simply too late for a second career. Knowing I had until 106 would certainly change my career plans.

I would be less concerned about simultaneously prioritizing work and family. I would concentrate first on family, knowing that I would have a good 60 years after that to focus on work. Perhaps longevity would be good for feminists.

And as for having friends around - well, maybe it would be better not to. With urban sprawl taking over, there will simply be no place for all us aged Americans live anyway. It might even be too hard to breathe if too many of us from the Class of 2002 survive to 2087. Air pollution is already a big problem in major cities, and if too many of us live too long - producing carbon dioxide with every breath and driving cars an extra twenty years - it can only get worse. The average American produces five pounds of garbage a day- this is up from fewer than three pounds in 1960. It seems that finding a place for our trash may be a bigger problem than housing our elderly.

We've seen our population double since 1950, and the census predicts that we will hit 400 million by 2043. The world simply cannot sustain 400 million Americans.

Let's consider our census milestone a warning sign. If we intend to continue pursuing longevity, we must be ready, as a nation and as individuals, to deal with the consequences. It wouldn't be fair to future generations not to.

So, from No. 264,345,891, welcome to America No. 300,000,000. I love it here, but I'm gravely concerned.

Sarah Rothman is a fifth-year Bioengineering Ph.D. candidate and 2002 Engineering alumna from Fayetteville, N.Y. The Sounds of Science appears on Mondays. Her e-mail address is rothman@dailypennsylvanian.com.

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