Air Contamination

Pollution continues to pose an enormous threat to residents of urban cities worldwide. In the August 2008 Monthly Update, it is stated that approximately 800,000 deaths each year can be attributed to outdoor air pollution, making pollution the single most harmful environmental hazard to human health in urban areas (Kallman). The fact that pollution kills hundreds of thousands of people each year alone portrays just how dangerous living in these conditions can be. Kallman writes about a study which proves an increase in upper respiratory diseases, cardiovascular mortality, respiratory mortality, and low birth weights when exposed to air pollutants (August 2008: Monthly Update). These can be very serious diseases and complications which, when contracted, can lead to death or very serious illnesses. There

As the number of smokers are rapidly increasing recently, the number of patients with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is also gradually increasing. It is one of the most common chronic diseases and is considered to be one of the five leading diseases following heart disease, pneumonia, HIV and AIDS worldwide (GOLD, 2004). Smoking is the main cause of COPD. However, long term exposure to chemical fumes and air pollution could also cause COPD. This essay is all about how COPD affects individual, family and society as a whole across their lifespan. Also, it discusses the role of a nurse in caring patients with COPD.

In Shreveport, LA, many residents suffer from respiratory issues that they believe are caused by the local refinery, Calumet (Moskowitz). Residents have suffered for generations losing family members to cancer that they believe is brought on by pollution that the refinery emits. Some residents suffer lesser but chronic health issues ranging from minor respiratory issues like asthma to blood clots in their lungs. “Calumet denies that its refinery is the cause of any of these health issues” (Moskowitz). Many chemicals that are released by refineries can cause respiratory problems, cancer, nerve damage, and in some cases even death. There is no absolute way to be sure that all health problems happening near Calumet are caused by the pollution that it emits, but it could be a contributing factor in worsening symptoms. A resident of Marrero, LA, a town south of Norco refining, stated that they could not leave their house due to excess levels of pollution triggering asthma attacks (Ludwig). Sulfur dioxide is a known chemical that can trigger asthma attacks, it is also one of the many harmful chemicals that can be released by refineries (Sturgis). Refineries will measure levels of emissions when there is a chemical spill, so they know almost exactly how much pollution they have emitted. Minor incidents are not always reported or are under reported, but they can have the same damaging effects on the environment and the overall health of the community (Sturgis). “LABB’s reports confirms what workers and residents have known for years-petrochemical companies to often skirt the laws for reporting serious incidents”

If a large number of people would be affected by this issue, there would be more cases of chronic respiratory problems, such as asthma, which is already a huge concern in itself. Any respiratory problem, if untreated, can become fatal in no time.

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames, and narrows the airways. C.O.P.D. is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease which is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body cancerous cells are called malignant cells. Bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of your bronchial tubes which carry air to and from your lungs. Emphysema is a form of chronic lung disease. People with emphysema have difficulty breathing from a limitation in blowing air out. Emphysema is one of the main types of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. These health conditions are just a few that can be caused by being exposed to toxins and pollutants. There are cases, and cases block by block in zip code 48217 of serious health issues and concerns. The children are at higher risk because they breathe in more air. A 56 year old woman who has lived in the zip code since she was born is a cancer survivor that lost both parents to cancer. An eight year old little girl is plagued with chronic asthma and has to take asthma treatments four times a day. A 66 year old man that has lived in that neighborhood since the sixties shared that his wife has had several types of cancers, and several of his eight grandchildren have asthma. The raspy voice of a resident describes the black, oily film that

My interest in Environmental Health started within my career as a Respiratory Care Practitioner. With Respiratory Care being such a centralized field of study focusing primarily on pulmonary and cardiac deficiencies I became interested in the common areas of the cases. The goals for me as an applicant of West Chester University’s MPH Program with an elective track of Environmental Health is to discover the most beneficial method to identify, make aware, prevent, maintain and correct factors associated with social, congenital and environmental

Living in a place with bad air quality is a risk to everyone, but there are people with significantly higher instability. People with pre-existing maladies, mainly cardiovascular and respiratory, are more susceptible to more severe illnesses. Children are also more vulnerable than healthy adults. This is because their systems and internal organs are not fully

Dweik, R. A., & Mazzone, P.J. (2010, August). Occupational Lung Disease. Retrieved October 28, 2017, from http:// www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/pulmonary/occupational-lung-disease/

Exposure to asbestos, metal or coal gas processing, and radiation like radon gas influences lung cancer,

In this science fiction skit, we are going to take a look at the way people will survive a future, if the air becomes too polluted for them to breathe normally with their lungs. Certainly, today people notice the rapid affects of pollution on the human body. Their breathing is labored and some develop upper respiratory infections. They start coughing out of control and have difficulty performing common everyday chores. This is very apparent in polluted cities, more than out in the country. Perhaps in the future, the toxic air will make it extremely difficult for anyone to breathe with their lungs, without some type of assistance.

It is vitally import to recognize that being expose to pollutants occurs not only outside of buildings but inside them as well. Home environmental health risks and the pollution of indoor residential air are the sources of injury and increase causes of illness, particularly in vulnerable population such as pregnant women, infant, children, the elderly and those living with chronic medical condition or disability. Health care professionals such as nurses plays a vital role in the prevention, education, and the screening of activities for patients. Chronic, long-term exposure to indoor air pollutants have increasingly being recognized as threats to health. Deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning, sick building syndrome, and mold have been factors of environmental health

The simple fact here is that when the ducts in a residence are dirty, the impurities inside the ducts find their way into the air of the interior of a home. This means those living in the home ingest such impurities each and every time they take a breath. Among these impurities are mold, dust, fungus, and bacteria. All of these impurities can have serious consequences when they are ingested

This intervention give these individuals access to information that would enable them to recognize when their environment would put them at risk for system exacerbation. The constant monitoring of air quality would hopefully lead to more regulations that further improve air quality, and thus aid in the development of a primary prevention strategy to decrease the incidence of respiratory illness (Berend, 2016; Keller et al.,

Weuve et al., (2012) studied the effects of exposure to particulate matter in 19,409 women; ages 70-81.

Chronic disease is term used for human health state which is continual or otherwise ongoing in its effects. Lung cancer is a chronic disease mainly characterized by abandoned growth of cell in tissues of lung. It usually occur as a malignant tumor in lungs where as in benign tumors it spreads to the cell lining the air passage and often it attacks the nearby cells and tissues of the body. Primary lung cancers are carcinomas of epithelial cells. Lung cancer is categorized as non small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). NSCLC accounts for 80% of lung cancers. More people expire because of lung cancer as compared to prostate and colorectal cancer. The average age of people having lung cancer is 71 yrs.