Picture: This picture shows air pollution in the
United States. Even though in some states the air pollution is decreasing,
overall it is still pretty bad.
Summary: We have all heard the risks of air
pollution, but no one seems to take them seriously. But new studies show that
the more people are exposed to the air pollution, the higher the chances are
for stroke, heart disease and cognitive deterioration. In one study done
nationwide, it was shown that over 20,000 women that breathed in polluted area for
over a decade experienced quicker memory loss and attention span problems. In
another study done in Boston, on the days where the traffic pollutants went up,
so did the risk of stroke. Even when the federal air quality index said the air
was moderate, the risk of stroke was still there, pointing out that even “moderate”
pollution is not good for our health. Gregory A. Wellenius, an associate
professor of epidemiology at Brown University and lead author of the study
linking pollution to stroke said “At levels that the Environmental Protection
Agency says are safe, we’re seeing real health effects.” The long term effects
of air pollution are clear, but studies and scientists are still trying to pin
point the short term effects of air pollution. Some of the common pollutants
such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide also greatly
increase your risk of heart disease.
Opinion: This article was eye opening for me. I knew
the short term risks of pollution that we learn in class, but I never really
thought about all the long term effects. I knew that headaches, nausea and trouble
breathing could happen because of pollution, but again I never really thought
about the long term effects like risk of stroke, heart disease and cognitive
deterioration. What also scared me was that the federal air quality index could
say that the air pollution was moderate one day, but the risks of the long term
effects could still be there. All of the studies done out in our country
basically say the same thing, which our air quality is bad and we need to find
ways to reduce it very soon. I know that I need to pay more attention to the
long term effects of pollution and I’m guessing so do a lot of people in our
country do too.
1. What is an achievable goal for the amount of air
pollution that we reduce?
2. Why are finding short term effects of air
pollution so hard?
3. What is so bad about the small particles of air
pollution?
4. If our air pollution were to decrease, do you
think we would still have health risks because the air could still be
contaminated? Why or why not?
Opinion: I had the same reaction to this article as Kate did; it was very eye-opening, and made me realize how a humans’ activity is ultimately having an impact on their own future and health. I never knew that air pollution can be so severe, and can increase the risk of stroke and heart attacks. Strokes are heart attacks are so deadly, or fatal, and for them to come from breathing polluted air is shocking. This is concerning, and it’s so scary how no one is that aware of this issue and I don’t hear anything about people trying to help stop it. This reminds me of the current lesson we are on about air pollution. We talked about the deadly smog, which was caused by air pollution. Overall, I really hope someone sheds light on this issue to everyone, and maybe something will be done to reduce air pollution.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to #3: (answer came from http://whyfiles.org/030air_pollution/air2.html) The smaller the particles, the more deadly, because it has the ability to penetrate deeper into the body, such as the lungs. The deadly small particles, PM-2.5, originate mainly from the burning of fossil fuels, typically containing a mixture of soot, sulfate, nitrate particles, and acid droplets. In a study with comparing cities, the particles smalle than 2.5 micrometers (PM-2.5) turned out to be the most toxic components in the air.
I agree with both Kate and Angela that the impacts of air pollution are very eye-opening. I find it very surprising that this issue is not very talked about or, concerned about. I personally am scared that when I grow up, I might have to be afraid to step outside and breathe in some fresh air. The fact that 20,000 women were impacted to the extent where they had quicker memory loss and lower attention span is truly upsetting. What is this telling us about our society and our constant use of pollution substances? It is clear to see that we are heading in a dangerous direction. Like Angela, this also reminds me of the Deadly Smog we learned about in class, and how the smog was so think you could not see. We also learned that in a 12 hour period 18 people died. This is concerning because if our air keeps getting worse, and air pollution keeps increasing, a horrible incident like the deadly smog may happen in our generation. I don't understand why people aren't helping out this issue if they can do something as simple as riding the bus instead of a car. I mean it is our own future and environment we are harming which will eventually cause problems for us. I agree with Kate, that more people definitely need to be educated on this problem, and something needs to be done soon.
ReplyDeleteEXPANSION
http://www.epa.gov/apti/course422/ap7a.html
This link above is a website that provides all sorts of detail on the health impacts caused by air pollution. It shows graphics of the respiratory tract and what is caused by air pollution. It also summarizes the overall impacts of air pollution on health and what areas of the body can be effected. This site also gives a table with a list of all the different pollutants present in the air, the source of the pollution, the health effect, and welfare effects. It has pollutants ranging from carbon monoxide to lead. Overall, this website is a source that explains the results in health due to air pollution.
Opinion: Wow! This article is apalling and really sad to think about what lies ahead for the air that we are surrounded by. We, as a nation are producing extreme amounts of pollution that are ending up in the air that we breathe. If this pollution is causing so many health problems, I wonder why we are still doing it. It is scary to think about the things we might be breathing in on a daily basis. Air pollution is a big topic that I hear people talking about all the time, but not talking about ways to prevent. People tend to put the issue of air pollution in the back of their minds, thinking it will not effect them. Citizens should not do this because if we continue on the air pollution trend that we are on, everyone will suffer health problems from this polluted air in some way. The fact that people are getting heart disease, memory loss and increased risk of having a stroke just from breathing air when they step outside, is worrying. We need to stop polluting our air before it is too late and more and more of the population's healths are effected by it. This connects to the deadly smog that we learned about in class. The deadly smog is caused by air pollution of industry that provided a small town with lots of income. This deadly smog caused a giant pollution cloud over the town and killed many people. During the deadly smog people could not see at all. We need to learn to put our health before our money. People should not be risking their lives and breathing unsafe air just to earn a little extra cash. A lesson should be learned from this deadly smog incident. The amount of pollution we put into our air is getting out of control and is causing way too many health issues, like mentioned in the article.
ReplyDeleteExpansion:
This is an article all about air pollution. It says that most people think of air pollution as smog, but there are many other invisible types of air pollution. This article also mentions global warming and how air pollution is a big contributor to this problem. The picture with this article is very cool because it shows a ton of air pollution right next people's houses. The people living in those houses are probably extremely effected by air pollution. I am sure they have some of the health problems that are listed in Kate's article.
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution-overview/
Before reading this article, I looked at the picture Kate gave us and I had no idea that cities looked this with bad air pollution. I am extremely stunned with how much pollution we have let alone how much of it is effecting our populations. I like Kate thought that this is an eye opener and never really thought about the long term effects. I remember learning about some of the effects like nausea and headaches from breathing in the pollution in class. What surprised me the most about this article is that the federal air quality index said the air was moderate (which mean fine to breathe in) pollution was okay even though they said moderate pollution isn’t good for people’s health. These long term effects are going to hurt many people in our society and we need to fix this problem. A few ways to fix this problem is to cut down on burning fossil fuels, motor vehicle emission, and finding other alternatives that don’t give off fumes. This planet is slowly becoming weaker and we need to save it and its people because it’s the only place we have to live.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/mar/16/air-pollution-biggest-threat-china- This is an article I found and it talks about china and its air pollution problem. The article also states that long term effects like lung cancer and cardiovascular illnesses are becoming more and more and could be getting worse in the future. Plus the government is show data that it is getting better even though it is not. Pollutions is happening everywhere and we need to put an end it.
This is a nice summary and I thank Kate for pointing it out. Air pollution can lead to a whole host of both acute (happening right away) and chronic (long term) health effects. Finding solutions to to regulate air pollution is challenging. First, not all air pollution is the same. Particles, ozone, and carbon monoxide are all air pollutants that have been shown to have health effects and their concentrations are regulated in the US; however, they can all be caused by different sources and processes in the atmosphere- sometimes understanding this (so that we can put controls into place to prevent the air pollution) is really challenging. Plus, we don't know much about the combined health effects of multiple pollutants (for example, when you have both high particles and ozone).
ReplyDeleteRecent analysis of health and air quality suggest that there are no healthy levels of particles in the atmosphere. However, the cost to reduce particle concentrations in the air can be high, and some particles have natural sources (dust, volcanoes, pollen, etc.).
The air quality in the US has been improving overall in recent decades, and the air quality standards do get continually more stringent. (The process to come up with new regulations is LONG!)
Christine Wiedinmyer, Ph.D.