Solutions to the Air Pollution Problem in America Essay

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

Smog and air pollution have been impacting the lives of Americans since the industrial age during the nineteenth century, when necessity to use coal was critical for manufacturing in city factories. The United States government had little to no progress in enacting laws to developing better ways to target the air pollution. Smog in urban cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati exceeded levels that proved to damage health of millions of people. For approximately sixty seven years local governments took it upon themselves to execute various laws to establish healthier living standards. From 1881 to 1947, five major cities in the United States proposed ideas to incentivize leaders to promote clean air to be a non negotiable aspect of everyday living.

The Central Valley is one of the many sites of where air pollution is most greatly produced. This is due to the vast majority of electricity, fuels, and transportation that people in the Central Valley utilize along with the amount of agriculture that is produced here. Many people go through their daily activities without thinking about how they are harming not only the environment but also the health and well being of humans. The cause of air pollution is not only due to natural events like volcanoes and wildfires but is mostly contributed to human activities. These include use of gases, the burning of wood, power generation, driving, the use of household and farming chemicals, and more! (Lad, 2016) Air pollution is interconnected with many health effects like upper respiratory infections and chronic respiratory diseases like asthma. (cdc.gov, 2016) However, there are many mitigation strategies that are being implemented to help address the health effects of air pollution.

Phoenix Arizona’s growing air pollution. Anyone who lives in metro Phoenix has seen the ugly brown cloud that seems to hover over the city, the pollution is more than what can be seen. 1 Valley air carries bits of dirt, toxic fumes, ammonia from farm fertilizer. Freeways have a mix of exhaust and dust, putting anyone who lives nearby at an increased risk.

Often while driving through the valley you may start to smell a particular difference in the air, and not in a good way. Perhaps you didn’t know that San Joaquin Valley is one of two districts in the county to be classified by Enviornmental Protection Agency (EPA) as “extreme nonattainment” ("The Air District’s Mission"), which means it is considered to have the worst air quality; worse than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards as defined in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970 ("Google"). Also, San Joaquin County is one of the nine areas in the country to be designated as a “serious nonattainment” area for particulate matter ("The Air District’s Mission"). Although the air quality is not great here in the valley since

It’s a good thing that the U.S came up with laws that limit air pollution. Congress made the Clean Air Act in 1970 to protect public health from different types of air pollution caused by different pollution sources. What the act does is sets standards for air quality to limit the amount of pollutants to specific levels. It sets certain limits for governments and industries to pollute at a certain rate. I think that in the world we live in today, how industrialized it is, it is important to know how polluted the air you breathe in is. So, how polluted is East Los Angeles’

Any community, irrespective of poor or affluent conditions, racial and ethnic backgrounds and the disparities of education and income levels, should work towards building a healthy atmosphere and a better quality of life. Enhanced understanding of the dynamics of the community and the necessary resources to be mobilized in improving the air quality, comes with health education. Thus the first step in any policy directed at eliminating the environmental burden on minorities should be public health education. Taking into account the cultural and educational differences, various suitable resources should be identified and utilized. Secondly, the communities might not be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of deteriorated air quality by themselves and thus it falls upon the healthcare professionals to recognize them and inform the appropriate officials, especially when there is a sudden surge of cases (Boyce et al. 2013). Third, the communities should be provided a legal recourse to help them understand the hazards they face and also to voice their concerns to authorities. While designing mechanisms to reduce air pollution, local authorities must take into account the vulnerabilities of the minority populations. EPA, along with the environmental justice programs, provides many monitoring and air pollution reduction programs. It is important to include the minority groups in these endeavors and tailor the programs according to their needs. It should be remembered that cultural competence plays a key role in all of these

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

According to CalEnviroscreen, Stockton scored very high, exceeding the 90th percentile, in terms of having the most challenges with pollution exposure, environmental conditions, and population characteristics. The air quality in the area is exasperated by traffic congestion and geographical characteristics of the region. Improvements in air quality are critical in an area that has faced extreme challenges with air quality and pollution related diseases. Under the Clean Air Act, the San Joaquin Valley is classified as a non-attainment area and the conditions are extreme for the 8-Hr Ozone standards and moderate for PM-2.5. Located in a basin, the area has a non-attainment profile that closely mirrors Los Angeles air quality districts.

Air pollution are impacting the environment, and it is imperative that laws are enforced to help build and sustain a better air quality. Air pollutants can be in the form of particulate matter which can be very harmful to our health. Stimulation to our eyes, nose, throat, and breathing infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia are all short-term effects. You’re head might hurt, you might want to puke, and you might have allergic reactions. Short-term air pollution can put people with asthma and emphysema in a worse condition. Long lasting breathing disease, lung cancer, heart disease, and even damage to your brains, nerves, livers, or kidneys are all long-term effects. If you’re exposed to air pollution continuously, it would affect children’s lungs and may complicate medical conditions for the elders. Some people argue and deny the bad air problem. They claim that pollution may actually be good for the Earth. The hazy weather caused by pollution has made plants far more productive when it comes to scrubbing greenhouse gasses out of the air. Pollution has turned plants into better carbon dioxide processing machines. But this is bad for our own health. Pollution is causing global warming which leads to massive ice land melting. Polar bears and other animals that live there are losing there habitats and even dying. Melting ice could also lead to more sea water which would bury some cities or land near the coastal areas. There is already a tremendous amount of people on this planet. If our land decreases, and our population continues to increase, some people would have to start living on another planet; therefore, making it a priority to address the areas

In the state of Utah, 1,000 to 2,000 people die from air pollution annually. Utah counties have very received very unfortunate air grades from the American Lung Association. This is a problem because of the health risks that poor air poses for the general public. However, there are a multitude of ways steps can be taken to greatly decrease the issues of Utah’s air quality. Therefore, Utah’s air quality is a significant threat.

This pollution increases health risks by introducing people to harmful toxins released by cars, specifically in the asthmatic population. Hence, one can see the problems associated with traffic congestion and pollution. There are several ways to counteract the problem of traffic congestion and pollution. Firstly, the most practical solution to New York City’s congestion problem is to decrease the number of cars on the road. One plausible way would be to promote and offer alternative methods of transportation such as buses, subways, and taxis. If people used more public transportation there would be fewer cars on the road, less congestion, and less traffic pollution. Another alternative would be to increase toll prices. By increasing tolls on bridges and tunnels, people would be much less inclined to drive to the city and as a result there would be less traffic congestion and pollution. Gridlock is a major cause of traffic problems in Manhattan. If we were to implement more severe fines for blocking intersections, people would not try to “beat the light,” in effect decreasing overall congestion. A third approach to try and resolve this issue would be to change some one-way streets to two-way streets. Doing this would allow easier access to destinations and would eliminate indirect route taking. As a result, overall pollution would decrease. These are some of the methods that would be viable in decreasing

The environmental issue for my Milestone project is Air pollution. Air pollution is the introduction of particulates, biological molecules, and many harmful substances into Earth 's atmosphere, causing diseases, allergies, and death to humans, damage of other living organisms like animals and crops, or the natural environment (National Geographic, 2016). Georgia air pollution has been a focus for many years. Environmental protection Agency and Clean air act has been one of the main contributors to controlling environmental air pollution from increasing. The research is on scholars, chemicals and gases connected to air pollution and health hazards. Solution for Georgia is conserving, alternative energy and renewable resources.

To a great degree the eminent problem is the air pollution we breathe. Who can help amend the air we breathe. In order to improve the quality of the air, people have to be aware of the specific mode of pollution and the effect of it. The traffic-pollution causes affliction and distress to individuals. The reason for this tragedy is due in part by every one of us. High concentration of vehicle exhausts is the main source of air pollution in urban areas. Neighborhoods in proximity to heavy traffic areas can negatively impact a community’s health conditions and outcomes. Those people that are disproportionately exposed to great levels of exhaust fumes are those who have a low socioeconomic and educational status and are part of race/ethnicity

Earth is the only place in the universe that can support human life. It is very important that we realize this fact and take very good care of it. Various human activities cause the destruction of earth. Human beings can live a few days without food and water however humans can last only a few seconds without oxygen. Various human activities lead to the aggravation of the quality of air. Gases produced by human activities mainly due to exploitation of resources and industrialization cause air pollution. Green house gases mainly chlorofluorocarbons; carbon