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Air Pollution

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Air Pollution Air pollutions is a major problem across the united states and around the world. It is also probably the most serious environmental problems today. The term air pollution is just kind of tossed around and not taken as serious anymore although its effects are becoming greater. Air Pollution is toxic chemicals in the air, that can also be compounds and they are extreme enough to cause health risks. (Frank) This is damaging the ozone layer and creating global warming. One of the main cause of air pollution is human activities like mining, construction, transportation, industrial work, agriculture, smelting, and some others. There are also natural causes that result to air pollution also such as wild fires, volcano eruptions. These are even rare and for the most part only affect the area that it surrounds. The bigger problem is going back to us humans and knowing that we can stop certain activities to help better the world and our air we breathe every day. One of the “invisible killers” in today’s air pollution includes nitrogen oxides, ozone, and very small particulate matter. (Frank) Today, PM has been researched to be held most responsible for most of the health effects caused by the air. Fossil fuel combustion is most common in more of the urban areas, which would come from the road construction that occurs quite frequently. (Frank) There has also been a rise in deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory disease with older people. (Seaton) The World Health Organization (WHO) over time has reviewed the evidence on air pollution and health and suggested guidelines that it thought would adequately protect public health. Late in the1970s, WHO came to understand that the level of long term exposure to suspended particulate matter above which health effects might be observed was around 150 μg m3. (Anderson) “After applying a “safety factor” of 2, a possible health based guideline from 60 to 90 μg m-3 was suggested. In 1987 using these principles, WHO published the first global guidelines for ambient particulates, Sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone,” according to H.R. Anderson. Other main causes of air pollution are burning of fossil fuels, agricultural activities, exhaust from

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