Air Pollution Essay Research Paper — страница 3

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on how much to cut emissions of cars, and factories, as well as other pollution have become somewhat of a political scam as parties continuously change their views on certain topics. However many promising treaties, proposals, and policies have been made. As of right now no one can be sure where the governments of the world are going to go with this issue. One thing is for sure though, we are aware of the possibility of global warming, what we intend to do about it lies in the future. Along with all this another evil lies in our air, exposure to certain chemicals labeled toxic air pollutants. Title III of the CAAAs has identified 188 Hazardous Air Pollutants HAPs. The 188 HAPs consist of toxic air pollutants identified by EPA which, when their emissions are controlled through

available technology, are likely to have the greatest impact on ambient air quality and human health. (New Hampshire Air Resources Division) Toxic air pollutants are those pollutants that, at sufficient concentrations and exposure, are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects, such as reproductive effects or birth defects, or to cause adverse environmental effects. (New Hampshire Air Resources Division) These are poisonous substances in the air that come from natural sources (for example, radon gas coming up from the ground) or from manmade sources (for example, chemical compounds given off by factory smokestacks) and can harm the environment or your health. Just something as simple as pumping gas can give you leukemia from the fumes put out by the

benzene. (EPA Air Toxics) A fine example can be argued about right here in Vermont. I personally know people who claim that the talc mill in Brownsville, Vermont has much to do with the outbreak of lung, and full blown bone marrow cancer that seems to be affecting a large number of previous and present workers, as well as those who live around it. This may or may not be the truth of the matter much of this is speculation and hearsay. However it’s not a commonly thought of air pollutant and it makes you think of how close to home this can be. The health effects caused by this pollution are still not fully known but some that we are aware of are cancer, respiratory irritation, nervous system problems, and birth defects. The illnesses one can be affected by are divided into two

categories short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) complications. One’s time exposed to the pollutant, level of toxicity of the pollutant, frequency of exposure, and overall health and general resistance to the toxin are all factors in which toxic pollutants can affect human health. The six major regulated air pollutants are ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide and lead. (Department of Environmental Protection State Of Maine) However there are 188 listed hazardous air pollutants some of these are even common household items. So just because you don’t live in a smog filled area it doesn’t mean you aren’t susceptible. The more common form of toxic air pollution is smog. Smog’s prime ingredient is low level ozone. The main

culprits to this matter are cars with poor emissions systems, and fossil fuel burning factories. The problem mostly lies in the cities where traffic flow is highest. The urban dwellers who are most affected by smog are all at risk to “Acute respiratory problems, aggravate asthma, decreases in lung capacity of 15 to over 20 percent in some healthy adults, inflammation of lung tissue, and impair the body’s immune system defenses, making people more susceptible to respiratory illnesses, including bronchitis and pneumonia.” (EPA Office of Air & Radiation) People affected are those who have asthma, and people who are heavy. Children are even more affected by smog than adults are. Smog and ground level ozone also affect plants and trees. Most plants exchange gasses with the

surrounding air absorbing some of the same toxins we do. They lack the ability to photosynthesize, produce brown spots, and wither away and die. Tobacco plants are unusually susceptible. They have actually been used to monitor low-level ozone toxicity patterns. “Air Pollution, addition of harmful substances to the atmosphere resulting in damage to the environment, human health, and quality of life.” (Encarta Air Pollution) If you didn’t know much about air pollution before I began this paper then I bet that statement has a different meaning for you now. It certainly does for me. I believe that just being aware of what’s going on around you can make a huge impact. Each of these factors I talked about are generally worsening everyday. There is much debate about some of the