Introduction
Pollution threatens public health; In an upcoming report by the Global Commission on
Pollution and Health, pollution is the leading cause of human disability and death. In Illinois,
Chicago is one of the Metropolitan area affected by air pollution. Moreover, smog and other toxic air pollutants generated from burning fossil fuels have caused a rise in respiratory and cardiovascular problems. This essay will examine the main air pollutants and their causes in
Illinois and how they compare to other states.
Main Air Pollutants
Smog, Particulate Matter, and other fossil fuel toxins are the primary air pollutants.
Smog comes the burning of fossil fuels; this produces nitrogen. Volatile organic compounds from gasoline, diesel and other petroleum fuels. According to the "Our Health at Risk: Why Are
Millions of Americans Still Breathing Unhealthy Air?" report, nitrogen and volatile organic compounds mix with sunlight form ozone gas. However, smog is a ground-level ozone gas that produces inflammation in the lungs. The inflammation in the lungs causes damage to lung tissue which leads to increased asthma attacks and respiratory and cardiovascular health problems.
Smog pollution is most notably in metropolitan areas like Chicago, Illinois.
Particulate Matter (soot) are tiny particles of toxic chemicals that ingest into the body through inhalation. The small contaminants enter the lungs and blood stream eventually causing both short and long term health problems. “Other
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
Another big problem in polluting places and things is air pollution which can make air foggy, unbreathable, and toxic. According to “34 Facts about Pollution”, the text states breathing the air in Mumbai, India, for just one day is equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes. One of the things that can cause air pollution is releasing factory fuels and fossil fuels into the air. We also cause it from burning certain things like plastic, chemicals, and other
There are various types of air pollution contributors in California such as fire generated pollutants and vehicle traffic, which add particulate matter and carbon monoxide into the air we breathe. According to an article by Union of Concerned Scientists (Cars, trucks, and air pollution, 2014) particulate matter is made up of fine particles soot and metal that can pose serious threats to human health when deep in the lungs. Other pollutants emitted from vehicles are: nitrogen oxide which lowers the body’s defense system against respiratory infections such as pneumonia, carbon monoxide which blocks oxygen from reaching vital organs, sulfur dioxide which is emitted by both power plants and vehicles affect children and asthmatics, and hazardous air pollutants (toxics) which are chemicals that are linked to cancer, birth defects and other illnesses (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2014).
The city of Pekin has a history of very dangerous and unhealthy levels of air pollution caused by power plants and ethanol manufactures. “The Pekin area has the highest level of sulfur dioxide air pollution in the state, according to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), a level that now exceeds tightened federal standards” (Pekin has worst sulfur dioxide air pollution in state, 2011). This environmental issue has had great health effects on the Pekin community because of the mass quantity of sulfur dioxide pollutants in the air. “Exposure to sulfur dioxide, which is released when fossil fuels like coal and oil are burned, causes respiratory problems for children, the elderly and those with asthma or other respiratory illnesses, according to the IEPA. It narrows airways, leading to difficulty breathing” (Pekin has worst sulfur dioxide air pollution in state, 2011). The health problems that sulfur dioxide cause is detrimental to the health of the citizens in the city of
Air Pollution today has lead CDC's fight against environmental -related respiratory illness, including asthma.An estimated number of 6.5 million deaths are attributed each year to poor air quality, making this the world's largest threat to human health.According to the World Energy Outlook and the IEA estimate that death due to household air pollution in Africa may decrease by 110,00 to 2040.However, due to economic growth, urbanization and automobile emissions, outdoor air pollution may rise from 300,00 to 450,000 over the same period. Am going to be looking at the causes of air pollution. the problems emerging with air pollution and also how we as a community can help decrease the amount of death rate associated with air pollution.I remember growing up in Africa Air pollution was always a talk about a subject that always comes out because it is really contagious due to the fact that we are breathing bad air that is caused by our human contribution to the environment.Air pollution is considered to be a public health problem, it is responsible for most of our health problems after some research has been conducted in many different parts of the world and regions. According to the Geochemistry and Health paleopathological research suggests that air pollution is a form of smoke, plagued our oldest ancestors.Air pollution has emerged as one of the leading risk factors for stroke worldwide.
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
There are countless obstacles in life that people may face. It's has been reported poverty in St. Louis is a major issue when dealing with pollution. As stated by Census reports "15% are on below the poverty line and the median family income occurs around 22,000". Families who happens to be financially unstable with no medical care, little to survive, living conditions fall under unsanitary. They are mostly congested further more packed "like a can of tuna" living with numerous of people in an unstable environment. This may cause contamination in the air, which triggers people to have asthma or other diseases.
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.
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,
The most prominent example of this is Salt Lake City. It is the largest city in Utah, and it is also the most polluted. This is a problem for the citizens of Salt Lake City. The levels of pollution there have more frequently reached unhealthy levels in recent years. This creates a serious health risk to both those with breathing problems and those who are perfectly healthy. “For the last few years, [Salt Lake City] has been grappling with one of the nation's most vexing pollution problems, where atmospheric inversions during the winter months lead to a thick fog of dirty air cloaking the region.” (Seen) It is a severe problem that has only gotten worse with time. Just last year, Salt Lake
One of the reasons that cause air pollution in the United States is combustion of fossil fuels. United states known as the developed countries. For big countries, there will have many moving vehicles. Burning oil from fossil fuels such as diesel is burnt in moving vehicles cause air pollution. When the oil is burned, dangerous gases released into air and the environment. From that, if the people overuse of fossil fuel, its will kill the environment as dangerous gases are polluting the environment and harm the habitat. Because of our selfishness, other must face hardship cause of air pollution that is produced from the environment also from the human. From the source that was found, according to Rakesh from Conserve Energy Future (CEF), dangerous
"These days, there are up to 500 chemicals in an average human body that were not found in humans before 1920."1 Several forms of environmental pollution have the ability to intoxicate human bodies with unwanted chemicals. Pollution exists when the environment cannot break down or eliminate an object without creating negative effects. Intoxicating bodies is just one of the several harmful effects that pollution has, specifically, in North America. Pollution causes other problems such as: methane production, health issues, acid rain harmful to ecosystems, and water and soil contamination. Environmental pollution harmfully
Starting in the year 2004, the air pollution has reached an alarming level in the city o Toronto. Dr Barbara Yaffe, the acting medical officer of health of Toronto Public health, has released a report in July 2004 saying that the “air pollution [in the city] has contributed to over 1700 premature deaths and 6000 hospitalization admission in Toronto each year” (Yaffe, 2004, p.i). According to this report, pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and carbon monoxide have increased within the air of the city; these pollutants are tiny particles that are 2.5 micron in diameter or less and can affect people’s respiratory system and cause cardiovascular and respiratory problems such as “asthma, bronchitis in children, adult chronic bronchitis, and heart problem” (TPH, 2007, figure 1). Although it
The amount of factories and industries has grown immensely through the previous years which has resulted in an expansion in the consumption of petroleum products. Innovation has begun to increase and has promoted the expansion of the production of cars. As stated by the Air Quality Research Center, “Air pollution is one of the most dangerous environmental problems, causing many adverse health effects and responsible for 50,000 deaths in the U.S. each year” (Air Pollution and Health – Air Quality Research Center.). The smog and
We use all kinds of chemicals that are damaging our air. Sprays containing chlorofluorocarbons damaging ozone layer in very top part of out atmosphere. Pesticide and other chemicals use for protecting some plant might protect plants, but they are not helping to our air at all.