1.1 Air Quality Effects on Humans Air quality in America is a very important topic. Humans breathe every day, approximately 3,000 gallons of air. Without it, we cannot live1. Breathing air, which contains pollutants, can be harmful to human health. Minimally, polluted air can cause burning eyes and noses along with an irritated throat and difficulty breathing. Additionally, for people with asthma, which includes over 30 million Americans, pollutants can aggravate respiratory problems. Elderly people and those with heart or respiratory conditions are extremely vulnerable to the adverse effects of breathing polluted air. Toxic chemicals in the air can cause cancer, birth defects, lung injury, and brain and nerve damage. In a worst case scenario, breathing pollutants can cause death1. The air pollutants can be divided into two categories, which are primary pollutants and secondary pollutants. Primary pollutants are those pollutants, which can be directly traced to the pollution source. Meanwhile, secondary pollutants are those, which are produced as a result of reaction by the primary pollutants. Unfortunately, both types of pollutants have the ability to cause chemical changes in the atmosphere2. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has put together a list of 187 hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). In metropolitan areas, there are thirty HAPs identified by the EPA to threaten human health3. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) affect in social and
“Asthma is a chronic respiratory illness often associated with familial, allergenic, socioeconomic, psychological and environmental factors.” (Rhodes 2002) Traffic related air pollution at home and school has been associated with adverse health effects, specifically on the respiratory system, resulting in an increased prevalence of asthma in children. The Southern California Children’s Health Study was designed to look at the chronic effects of air pollution on respiratory health. Previous research has shown an association of asthma with those that live in residential areas in close proximity to major roadways and exposure to traffic pollutants.
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,
For the past few years, the American Lung Association has been releasing its annual reports on the “State of The Air” that lists the most polluted cities in the United States. For instance, in 2014, out of the seven cities ranked to have the worst air quality, six of them are in California. The two major air pollution culprits in California are from the transportation sources such as trucks and cars, or from the stationary sources such as industrial facilities and refineries (Ierodiakonou, et al. 392). However, the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association includes other pollutants in their reports such as Sulphur(IV) oxide, Carbon(II) Oxide gas and Nitrogen(IV) Oxide from chemical industries, which also causes harm to human beings and the environment at large.
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
Inhaling dirty air can cause throat irritation, watery eyes, burning nose, and can make it difficult to breathe. The two most detrimental common pollutants, particles and ozone, can cause respiratory problems, and aggravate cases of asthma. Certain chemicals that are toxic are released into the air, and this can cause problems like birth defects, brain and nerve damage, long-term lung injury, heart disease, cancer, and sometimes even death. Some of these pollutants travel to the upper atmosphere, which contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer. Depletion of the ozone layer is linked to higher incidences of skin cancer and cataracts. EPA’s enforcement of the programs of the CAA has made significant progress in the reduction of air pollution. This leads to a decline in air quality related ailments, and saves the lives of tens of thousands of Americans each year (Benjamin, G.C., M.D., 2011). This increase in public health would save billions of dollars in public health benefits, which far exceeds the cost of implementing these programs. Some criticism has come against the CAA, claiming that the need for reform is desperate. This line of thought insists that the CAA fails in assuming that all pollutants have “safe” levels. All recent studies, however, have shown that fine particle pollutants are not safe in any quantity. Though detrimental health effects do decline in proportion with the decline of fine
Ambient air in urban, rural, and industrial areas contains an array of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They spread in the air as gases from some solids or liquid materials. Society and environment are directly healthy affected in short- and long-term by VOCs at trace level concentrations (2). Air pollutants toxic are class of chemicals that may consider health problems in a significant way. There are many chemical pollutants released into the ambient air from various sources, such as power plants, and spraying pesticides. There are two types of air pollutants that are primary pollutants, which are emitted directly into the air from pollution sources, and secondary pollutants, which are from primary pollutants, but after they passing from many of the chemical changes in the atmosphere (12). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has compiled a list of 187 hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). There are 30 HAPs threaten health dramatically in metropolitan areas, such as benzene, 1,3-dichloropropene, 1,3-butadiene, and chloroform that are classified as toxins (3). In accordance with the 2007 Environmental Pollution, VOCs affect adversely on health and cause many diseases, such as immune and neurological damage, cardiovascular diseases, and reproductive and endocrine disorders (8). Several methods have developed for the
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. This occurs when the airflow is obstructed. Asthma affects people of both genders, all races and age. Asthma existed in ancient Egypt times and possibly even before that. (Crosta, 2000, p. 2) Asthma had been on the decline up until 2001 (Asthma In The U.S., 2011). In 2001, one out of every fourteen people had asthma. Since then asthma has been on a gradual incline. In 2009, one in every 12 people now had asthma (Asthma Statistics, 2013). This means 25 million people in the United States are living with asthma. More and more people are dying every day because of asthma. Scientists are trying to figure out why asthma has been increasing in the
Environmental pollution is an enormous problem in the United States. Environmental pollution is a substance that is harmful or poisonous to the environment. Air pollution, water pollution, thermal pollution, and soil pollution are major types of environment pollution. Pollution is linked to some of the most deadly diseases. “Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas which is poisonous at high levels. CO bonds with hemoglobin more easily than oxygen, so that it reduces the body's ability to deliver oxygen to organs and tissues” (Neidell, 1005). Air pollution is the most harmful out them all because we inhale it every day. "Ozone (03) is a secondary air pollutant formed by nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds in the presence of
Air contamination can hurt us when it aggregates at high amounts all around in sufficiently high concentrations. A huge number of Americans live in ranges where urban brown haze, molecule contamination, and poisonous toxins posture genuine wellbeing concerns. Individuals presented to sufficiently high levels of certain air contaminations may encounter: bothering of the eyes,nose, and throat, wheezing, hacking, mid-section snugness, and breathing troubles. Compounding of existing lung and heart issues, for example, asthma. Increased danger of heart disease What's more, long haul introduction to air contamination can bring about malignancy and harm to the invulnerable, neurological, conceptive, and respiratory frameworks. In extraordinary cases,
Dust storms in Arizona are a dramatic example of how changes in land use, combined with climatological factors, can have a negative influence on human health. For decades, the state has experienced dust storms that have led to serious traffic accidents on Arizona’s highways (Brazel and Hsu 1981). The dust storm related accidents represented a disproportionate amount of fatalities (Hyers and Marcus 1981). However, dust can have negative effects on human health in a less dramatic fashion. Small particles (≤ 10 micrometers) can lodge inside human lungs and cause respiratory problems and heart attacks. The particles can also alter environmental properties such as the nutrient concentration in water bodies and soils (U.S.
Next, there are human health problems caused by air pollution from the burning of coal and oil. Air pollution can cause long-term damage including many diseases and a range of short-term respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, throat irritation, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Children, seniors, and asthmatics are most vulnerable to this air pollution. Miners, especially, are prone to black lung disease.
To assess the air pollution level in Delhi and compare the levels before and after Diwali
Farm growing seafood helps give marine ecosystems a chance to rebuild where there has been over fishing
The sources of such chemicals are the large factories, smoke from the vehicles, chimneys and burning of wood. Air pollution is also a cause of global warming and acid rain. The effects of global warming are playing havoc everywhere - higher temperatures, hurricanes, heavy rains, flooding and droughts have now become more frequent and severe in intensity. Air pollution consists of solid particles and gases. Many pollutants are carcinogens. People who breathe in these poisons are at a higher risk for asthma and reproductive-system damage. According the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, birth defects can also be caused by air pollution. A 1995 study found a link between air pollution and increased deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory problems. Humans are not the only living creatures affected by toxic air pollutants. Some toxins, like mercury, settle onto plants and into water sources that are then consumed by animals. The health effects of these poisons are then magnified up the food chain. Animals that are at the top of the food chain end up with the largest concentrations of toxins in their bodies.
Did you know that every year millions die from respiratory and circulatory diseases due to too much exposure from air pollution? This is becoming a global problem because of the extremely high levels of toxins and chemicals being produced. So how do we reduce air pollution? First, we all must educate ourselves and become aware of the rising health problems related to pollution. The majority of individuals today are unaware of the chronic illnesses that can occur from polluted air.