Introduction
The environmental issue that I’ve chosen is air pollution. Air Pollution is a huge environmental issue not only in the United States but all over the world. I picked this issue because of the affect that it has on our entire world. This is a highly important issue that people should be aware of because of the huge effect it has on practically everyone. In my essay I will address what air pollution is and how it starts, I will talk about which cities have high pollution verses cities with low pollution, what’s being done to change, and the affect it has on humans, animals, and our earth.
Background
What do you think is the world’s largest cause of preventable deaths? Smoking? Poor diet? Blood pressure? It’s air pollution. (The Independent Co. 2014) Air pollution is such a huge environmental issue that kills many people and it’s often not even noticed. People can be effected by air pollution and not even be aware of it. Air Pollution is caused by biological materials, chemicals, particulates, or other harmful materials going into the earth’s atmosphere.
East coast and West coast cities
Air pollution is a very large problem in bigger cities around the United States of America. In Los Angeles people are at the highest risk of death due to air pollution. Among the most populated areas of the country, Los Angeles had the highest estimated rate of deaths attributable to air pollution. (The Huffington Post 2014) New York City is another huge city that is highly polluted. The death rate due to air pollution is a little smaller in New York than Los Angeles but it is still a huge health risk in New York. Air pollution in New York City is a significant environmental threat which contributes to an estimated 6% of...
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...ir pollution is a very huge environmental issue that has such a large effect on all living organisms. There are a lot of simple things can people around the world can do to keep it a clean and safe place for everyone. I have very strong feelings because of the huge effect it has on things all over the world. Air pollution needs to be controlled so we can have a better earth to live in.
Works Cited
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/air-pollution-causes-7-million-deaths-in-a-year-report-finds-9223393.html
http://eschooltoday.com/pollution/air-pollution/causes-of-air-pollution.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/los-angeles-air-pollution
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/air/index.shtml
http://www.epa.gov/airtrends/aqtrnd95/summary.html
http://www.mnn.com/health/healthy-spaces/photos/7-us-cities-with-the-worst-air-pollution/the-air-we-breath
More than three million children under the age of five have passed away because of pollution and other environmental factors (Rinkesh). Pollution is the leading cause of death among developing countries (Petru, Alexis). Air pollution analyst and environmental chemist are two careers that focus on improving our environment to make it safer to live in.
Pollutants are contaminants that enter and affect the natural environment which can cause negative changes. There are two main types of pollution, air and water, which occur from different sources and have different effects. Air pollution is the main cause of “dirty air” in the United States. Suburban areas suffer from outdoor air pollutants as well as indoor air pollutants. Indoor air pollutants are caused by the burning of coal and wood, which are used for heating. Outdoor air pollutants are caused by chimneys, in which smoke is released into the air, and crop fertilizers, which are generally used in rural areas. The impact air pollution has on humans are large cases of health defects in rural areas: such as cancer, tuberculosis, heart diseases, and low birth weights. J.P Majra, author of “Air Quality In Rural Areas” states that, “This leads various health problems, mainly affecting the respiratory and cardiovascular system...” (Majra, 2). This shows that if the United States alone uses this much fertilizer, in which affects our health, imagine how much the world will be affected. Kirk Smith, professor of environmental health sciences at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health states that ”nearly 10% of all lost-life years worldwide” has been due to air pollution (COEH
It reduces human life expectancy by more than eight months on average and by more than two years in the most polluted cities and regions” (Doc C). Air pollution is one of the virtual problems nowadays. Air pollution is mainly caused by cars. One of the most common pollutants is smog. Smog is a dark or opaque fog which is formed by the dust and smoke particles causing condensation of water vapors.
Regulations have helped tremendously however, there has been an issue with the coal burning plants that were exempted from the Clean Air Act laws because they were grandfathered in. Factory plants that were built before the 1970s were exempted from the new Clean Air Act standards because there was an expectation that since they were already old they would retire soon. Unfortunately, this was not the case and many of the plants grandfathered in are the ones continually polluting the air the most with its large amounts of acid rain to the atmosphere without being penalized. The acid rain is the result from sulfur dioxide and nitrogen emissions from fossil fuel burning plants. When these substances leave the earth they return as acid rain and harm water streams, national parks, and human health. Many people argue that these unregulated plants are large contributors to human health issues. “Within the power plant sector, these grandfathered plants generate 52 percent of the country's energy, yet produce 97 percent of the acid rain- and haze-causing sulfur dioxide, 85 percent of the ozone smog-causing nitrogen oxide and 99 percent of toxic mercury pollution from the utility sector”(Birdsong, 2000). After many years the federal government took action and implemented changes to the factories regulations grandfathered in by creating “The New Source Review” in where old factories were considered new sources if they expanded or modified their equipment (Save Clean Air Act, 2005). People believe that if grandfathered plants were ordered to follow the CCA standards as all other plants there would be a much more positive effect on air quality (Birdson, 2000).
New York City, itself, is the most populous city in the United States and with such a large number of people condensed into such a small area, the pollution is more concentrated. Pollution in the form of smog, photochemical smog, fine particulate matter, and ground level ozone is the outcome from human activity in the region (NYSDEC, 2015). The biggest problem caused by ground level smog and/or ozone is its effects on our lungs. It is especially detrimental when someone already has a respiratory illness, like allergies or asthma, which makes it an even larger struggle to breathe. Heating fuels also contribute greatly towards the area’s air pollution (Kheirbek, 2014). The primary the primary types of fuels used for heating are “liquid fuel oils and natural gas” (Kheirbek, 2014). Burning such fuels releases fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, into the air, which causes adverse health effects like, “increased air way inflammation, reduced lung function, and changes in heart rhythm and blood pressure” (Kheirbek, 2014). These symptoms lead to more hospital visits and even premature death (Kheirbek,
Research shows that every year 2.4 to 4.6 million people die from causes directly related to air pollution. Many of these fatalities are linked to indoor air pollution as well. Air pollution is expanding at such a fast pace that there are more deaths per year linked to air pollution than to automobile accidents. As the world continues to increase in the amount of people, air pollution will continue to rise as well. With an all time high, seven million deaths in 2012, countries such as China, and India accounted for approximately thirty percent of those deaths. To go along with facts such as those, China has been ranked the worst, in terms of populations directly affected by poor air quality.
One of the most dangerous environment issues Southern California is facing today is air pollution. This includes the burning of fossil fuels and natural disasters. Los Angeles is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and the most polluted city in the United States. I will research information about the causes, the effects, and the history of air pollution in the Los Angeles. For my research, I have relied mostly on, the school’s database and library, as well as current events.
Air pollution is caused by many things such as car fumes, burning of fossil fuels,
The topic I have chosen for today is something we all take for granted-the air. Most of us hardly ever think about it. It's just something we take for granted. But the air we breathe carries pollutants that can be bad for our health. People with sensitivities, like those who have asthma, or the elderly, and also athletes are especially vulnerable to unhealthy levels of air pollution.
Air pollution according to the Wikipedia << is the introduction of particulates, biological materials, or other harmful materials into the Earth’s atmosphere, possibly causing disease, death to humans, damage to other living organisms such as food crops, or the natural or built environment>>. Therefore, human being should be aware of the facts that the environment and all living creatures are dying. They need to understand the importance of natural items, the nature, etc…
Air pollution is a type of pollution that can severely damage our environment as well as the earth’s atmosphere. Air pollution occurs all the time when the air contains many substances ...
Air Pollution is when a poisonous or a harmful substance is released in the air. There are many form of pollution but air is one of them, it only occurs when dust, harmful gases or smoke enters into the atmosphere and makes it hard for species like plants, animals and humans to live in a difficult situation because of the dirty air.Air Pollution is classified in two sections, invisible air pollution and visible air pollution.. Hence any substance that makes it difficult for the living things that need the atmosphere is air pollution.Humans have been undergoing air pollution ever since the industrial revolution.In order to understand the causes of Air pollution, it is divided into divisions. Primary air pollutants and secondary air pollutants:
Many cities are currently affected by air pollution and Hong Kong is one example. Hong Kong’s air pollution level often exceeds the recommended air pollution level put out by the World Health Organization, and Hong Kong’s pollution index was at “very high” meaning that it exceeded 101, for 34% of the time (Hunt, 2011). Another example, when Hong Kong excee...
Every other day a new industries are being set up, new vehicles on roads and trees are being cut to make way for new homes. All of them, indirect way lead to increase in CO2 leads to melting of polar ice caps which increase the sea level and pose danger for the people living near coastal areas. Pollution can have an impact in our health not only affects people with impaired respiratory system such as asthmatics, but very healthy adults and children too. Exposure to pollution for 6 to 7 hours, even at relatively low concentrations, reduces lung function and induces respiratory inflammation and, healthy people during periods of moderate
Are you aware of the detrimental impacts that we have had on our environment? Every second, the Earth is being polluted by poisonous gases, waste products and due to human activities, the world’s climate is dramatically changing. In other words, these impacts do not only harm our environment but also our health. It has been scientifically proven that air pollution causes respiratory diseases and cancer, due to the inhalation of all the harmful chemicals. Water pollution can also lead to typhoid, diarrheal diseases and other waterborne disease, due to the intake of bacteria and parasites. Many people have died due to these health-related illnesses. So why are we still living in this awful condition? Air sustains us and water is a basic necessity, so we should do what we can to prevent pollution. In short, we should protect our environment to ensure a healthy life a...