1. Running head: POLLUTION 1
Air Pollution
Alicia Goodman
Environmental Science – EVS1001
June 18, 2011
Instructor: Angie Edwards
2. Running Head: POLLUTION 2
AIR POLLUTION
Air pollution is the biggest problem we as Americans face today. The problem arose
during the industrial revolution and has just gotten worse since then. However, the industrial
revolution brought many great changes to the world; better transportation, cheaper merchandise,
and has made our life better. In the beginning of the industrial revolution, the problem of
pollution was not something that people paid attention too. As the science involved, people
began to realize the problem with pollution.
Many different sources cause air pollution. Automobiles that are burning gasoline
produce very harmful gases and incineration of products. Factories produce millions of particles
that are carried off into the air. Gaseous by-products produced by chemical plants release these
toxic gases when their concentration is at a high enough level. As the world has become more
industrialized, the increased amount of air pollution and new health hazards have developed. Air
pollution can arise from different sources that we cannot control. For example, forest fires, dust
storms, and volcanoes.
One of the sources of air pollution is acid rain. Raindrops that are combined with
polluted air create acid rain. Acid rain mainly causes the erosion of buildings, destruction of
crops, and many other assets. Global warming is also caused by acid rain. Many scientists
predict that significant alterations in climate patterns could become more noticeable in the next
few years. The global average temperature has been estimated to project an increase of as much
as 9° F before the year 2100.
Indoor and outdoor air pollution are the two main sources of pollution. Indoor air
polluters include many different products, from certain cleaners to furnishings, which release
3. Running Head: POLLUTION 3
toxic organic compounds into the air that you breathe. Another very toxic indoor air pollutant is
called mold, which is a microscopic organism that can grow on any type of surface; it typically
grows where the humidity is above 70 percent. Mold creates spores that go inside the human
body and may cause complications. The American Lung Association states that, mold triggers
allergic reactions, which includes asthma. A recent study done by the Mayo Clinic states that
mold is the main cause of all chronic sinus infections. Mold can also lead to serious
complications, including breathing difficulties, memory and hearing loss, and bleeding of the
lungs. Indoor pollutants are serious, but they are minimal compared to the outdoor pollutants
that are in the air we breathe. Fissile fuel are gases that are released into the air, which are
burned by the factory ships, automobiles, ships, and trains. Every industry produces their own
pattern of air pollution.
Sulfuric acid is the major cause of the acidity of acid rain, which not only damages the
forests in the Northern Hemisphere, but is also causes fish to die off in many northern lakes.
Solutions for this problem are very expensive; due to the difficulty of removing the sulfur from
coal and oil, they are burned. Carbon dioxide is less lethal than carbon monoxide, sulfur oxide,
and nitrogen oxide, but carbon dioxide (CO2) is the one major pollutant in the atmosphere.
Fossil fuels and deforestation are the major sources of carbon dioxide. In 1975, there were 18
thousand million tons of carbon dioxide that was released into the atmosphere, however, the
atmosphere only showed an increase of 8 million tons. Ocean waters contain approximately
sixty times more carbon dioxide than the atmosphere. If the oceans no longer can absorb this
ratio of carbon dioxide, then there will be more carbon dioxide remaining in the atmosphere. If
the water warms, the ability to absorb carbon dioxide is drastically reduced.
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Air pollution causes many different respiratory diseases to humans. Is the major cause of
asthma, which an estimated 24.7 million Americans have been diagnosed with, according to the
American Lung Association; asthma costs the nation $12.7 billion annually. From 1980 to 1994,
diagnosed asthma cases have increased 75 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. These statistics are surprising, but no one should be shocked, because from
1980 to 2002, more factories, more forest fires, and countless vehicles, which all of these have
been contributing to air pollution. Furthermore, the current air pollution and the pollution from
before the 1980 era is still in the air today, the air cannot absorb anymore more of these gases.
All of the governments of the world’s nations are taking different measures to solve this
problem. The Clean Air Act has been passed in many countries, which has reduced the air
pollution. However, just having these laws, it is not enough to protect the environment. We as
Americans have to take a stand and help solve this problem. For example, by getting your
vehicle tuned-up more frequently so it does not smoke as much. Factories should use the
resources available to them that produce less pollutants, for example instead of using coal, they
can use natural gas, due to it produces less pollutants.
In conclusion, try imagining this scenario, a Red Cross truck that pulls into a small
neighborhood and hands out bottled water to the people that are need of safe water to drink.
Imagining this is hard, but water is a very important part of life. However, if the problem of air
pollution continues, there might be a day when we all have to breathe out of an oxygen tank. If
things continue as they are today, that day might not be too far into the future. All I can do is my
part in trying to save the environment and hope there will be a solution to this problem in the
near future.
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REFERENCES
Environmental Works. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2011, from Encyclopedia Britannica:
http://library.eb.co.uk/eb/article-214274
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2008, May 9). Retrieved June 14, 2011, from
Particulate Matter: Health and Environment.:
http://www.epa.gov/oar/particlepollution/health.html
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. (2008, January 7). Retrieved June 14, 2011, from Arctic
Haze: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arctic_haze&oldid=182689572
