Air Act Impact

The United States Environmental Protection Agency or EPA was initially proposed in 1970 by then President Richard Nixon. The agency was created to build on other environmental regulations enacted by the federal government and to consolidate those efforts to be managed by one government agency. It was also a reaction to the public’s growing concern over pollution and other environmental issues. Chemical waste was commonly released into bodies of water creating unsafe drinking water and rivers catching fire. Industrial air pollution, such as acid rain and smog, was also affecting manufacturing cities with coal-powered plants. There was little serious regulation on pollution until major environment laws started being passed by Congress in the early sixties.

The clean Air Act deals with solving air pollution problems through science and new information. The purpose for this act is to decrease the amount of pollution that we give off, and work towards making the air cleaner for everyone. Although progress has been made to lower pollution levels, it still is a threat to people’s lives. A goal that was set in the year 1975 was going to try and achieve National Ambient Air Quality Standards in every state to keep people healthy.

The author begins the article by discussing the death percentage related to air pollution and what causes the elevated levels of air pollution. Huth continues the article by pointing out that different areas have different problems related to air pollution. Finally, Huth draws attention to the fact that different countries have different solutions to the air pollution. Though this piece was written for the entire United States, the fact that air pollution can be deadly to humans is universally applicable. Though Huth is a reporter and not an environmental scientist, Huth does cite reports made by credible institutions. Though this article talks only about how air pollution is deadly and does not expand the idea to talk about other health complications, the fact that air pollution is dangerous to human health does support my claim that a reduction in air pollution will lead to a better quality of

Improved air quality wasn’t a subject of national concern until the mid 1900s. After decades of coal burning, unregulated gas emissions from cars and the excessive burning of fossil fuels, people started noticing bad air quality as a hazard to their lives. Over several decades, after seeing the costly effects air pollution was having on the environment and people’s health, interest groups like the Friends of The Earth club and the influences of Theodore Roosevelt and Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring finally came together to persuade the government to enforce legislation that would reduce air pollution. Because of these efforts, the policies of the Clean Air Act of 1963 and the Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Act of 1965, that aimed to control air pollution and raise air quality standards, helped create the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on December 2, 1970. Since then, the EPA has passed more air quality improvement acts, and amendments to previous acts passed, to increase restrictions on air pollutants, with their main policy concern being the Clean Air Act. Improved air quality acts imposed by the EPA have been successful in cleaning the United States’ air quality by reducing ground-level ozone pollution and reducing emissions, allowing for a decrease in pollution related deaths/illnesses and a better standard of living. The EPA, through regulations and the Clean Air Act, has delivered it’s promise to improve air quality in the United States.

Did you know many upper respiratory diseases such as asthma and others diseases like cataracts and skin cancer are aggravated by air pollution. The NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) states that “the following air pollutants are common triggers of asthma, ground level ozone, sulfur dioxide, fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxide.” Air pollution is the presence in or introduction into the air of a substance which has harmful or poisonous effects.

Air pollution is the dispersion of particulates, biological molecules, or other harmful materials into the atmosphere, causing diseases, allergies and death to humans, damage to other living organisms such as animals and food crops or the natural or built environments (Brunekreef & Holgate, 2002; Nowak, Crane, & Stevens, 2006). Polluted air directly or indirectly may cause or be attributed to an increase in fatality or serious unwellness and decline humans state of health (Kampa & Castanas, 2008). For example, in Canada, the Ontario Medical Association has attributed 9500 premature deaths per year and evaluates increased costs of health care ($506.64 M) and missed productivity ($374.18) as a result of air pollution (Rowe, 2011). Thus, employment

Initially, the smog created from burning non-renewable resources causes major health issues to people. In the 1970’s, the Clean Air Act was passed to increase the health of the environment for people. This law was created to better the air quality for the people and lower health issues that came from the pollutants in the atmosphere. Before the law was passed, the over pollution had about 90 percent of American children with higher levels of lead in their bodies (beinecke). This alarming statistic

Have you ever wondered where majority of the air pollution comes from and how it’s caused since half of the population here in the San Joaquin Valley are affected due to the contamination of the air. Many people around the world question themselves of air pollution but don’t know where it comes from. It's noticeable for example pesticides, ozone levels rising, vehicle pollution, toxic waste burning, wildfires, and the list goes on. The San Joaquin Valley for many have been battling for better air quality but instead of getting better it seems to be getting worse. The air quality can contribute to dangerous health issues and environmental effects. We humans aren't the only ones who are suffering from these devastating chemicals being used on a daily basis. Humans in general, Environmental Protection Agency, or California have to find ways or solutions to limit the usage of any type of air pollution being spread all around the world. However, air pollution contributes to several health problems that can either be longer term effect or short term effect. Limiting the usage of ozone into the air will reduce the chance of new born children from suffering major effects that can later turn

The primary health issues that come with the impact of air pollution are asthma, cardiovascular illnesses and premature mortality. These health issues are due to pollution and the poor air quality such as ozone. Thus, human health becomes a concern and issue. The individuals who are usually more vulnerable to such illnesses are the children and elderly. For example, there’s approximately 162,438 children under the age of and 258,586 adults aged 65 years and older in Riverside county that are prone to environmental health illnesses (cdph). According to UCLA institute of the Environment and Sustainability,

Although rarely discussed and unknown, the clean air act of 1970 and its amendments has helped the United States and its people greatly in the past 40-plus years. The act was originally created to regulate 6 criteria pollutants: lead, carbon monoxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and nitrogen dioxide. Then, the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990 expanded on these by targeting four other areas: acid rain, urban air pollution, toxic air emissions, and ozone depletion. The United States government enforced these regulations for factories, coal plants and automobiles to not only address air concerns, but address health concerns and environmental concerns.

Air pollution has been recognized as a major threat to environmental health, and the effects that it can have on the population are extremely varied. In the environmental aspects, air

To help minimize the risk of people living in the city getting sick, because small amounts of soot in the air can trigger heart attacks and contribute to lung cancer, diabetes, and other deadly illnesses, the EPA has started issuing more strict regulations that are forcing people to use cleaner fuel and engines in diesel trucks and buses, because the city can not regulate privately owned trucks so they have begun replacing old buses and trucks with new, cleaner buses. Under the EPA’s new rule, communities will have to meet a much more strict annual average for how much soot can be in the air. The new target will be about 20 percent tighter than the old one. About 66 counties - mostly in the East and California - would fail the test today. The EPA estimates that by 2020, these rules will improve air quality enough so the only places in the country that will violate the soot standard will be seven counting in Southern California. The EPA believes the soot limit will save much more than it costs. To implement this soot limit it would cost tens of millions of dollars. Industry officials warn that the new standard will get in the way of economic recovery in some areas. The United States already has made a lot of progress in cleaning up fine particles over the decades. Recent epidemiological studies show that is

“The Clean Air Act of 1970 has contributed in the improvement of the Air quality. However, the report also highlighted the need to pursue the efforts to target areas where unhealthy level of air pollutants is still present in the ecosystem and to increasingly continue to pose a threat to human health and other elements of the U.S ecosystem,” (National weather Services). To protect the environment several laws have been enacted as stated in the above paragraph. Clean Air act (CAA) 42 USC, 7401. This law defines the EPA's responsibilities for protecting and improving the nation's air quality and the stratospheric ozone layer and includes provisions for the EPA to set national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants, including asbestos.

Moreover, acute health effects were observed at levels common in many us cites such as Los Angeles, as well as, below current U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Overall these studies shown respiratory effect increase parallel with pollution levels, with a near linear dose-response

The economic development and industrial boom of the early 20th Century in the United States resulted in widespread air pollution and smog generation. In response to this environmental and health problem, the Clean Air Act was created to regulate the emission of air pollutants such as ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and other noxious airborne substances. This primarily state-enforced program developed a framework for the federal government to contribute to the regulation of air pollution and established processes and permitting to maintain an acceptable air quality across the country.