Air pollution is an issue that is often talked about, but never seen. If you can’t see it it’s not a big deal, right? Wrong. While people tend to think that air pollution only affects the ozone layer, it affects us more than we think. Air pollution is a leading cause in sicknesses, diseases and cancers among humans of all ages.
Air pollution is an undercover issue that causes more harm to us than we can understand. According to The 11th Hour, 30 to 60 percent of school children in America have developed asthma due to the breathing in of polluted air. Chronic exposure to traffic related pollutants may accelerate, or even provoke, disruption of the normal regulatory process eventually contributing to the increase of asthma incidences. Exposure to chemicals in the air also causes more diseases and cancers (The 11th Hour). Things like old insulation, car exhaust, or faulty furnaces release contaminants such as asbestos, radon, and carbon monoxide. These types of chemicals affect the respiratory system which may result in lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, or fibrosis. There are plenty of ways to decrease air pollution in urban areas, a lot of people just don’t know about them. For example, thermal combustor systems (TCS) designed to safely burn or combust hydrocarbon vapor mixtures (Journal of the Air). The few systems like this already in use are placed near natural gas processing and production buildings. With the help of a TCS, the amount of harmful chemicals being emitted into the air is reduced. There’s also the use of filtration systems to clean the air inside which can be just as dangerous as the air outside. Faulty ventilation in a home allows harmful dust and gasses to penetrate our respiratory system (Luwa Air Engineering AG). Installing a compact filter unit in one’s house is a great way to keep the air inside clean and breathable. So my challenge for you is to simply become knowledgeable about indoor and outdoor air pollution, because the more you know the better equipped you are to help thin planet. Check the vents in you home, school, or work building because the last thing we want to do is dirty our air past the point of no return.
Works Cited
The 11th Hour. Dir. Leila Connors Petersen and Nadia Connors. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio. Warner Independent Pictures, 2007. DVD.
"Professional development courses." Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association
61.4 (2011): 470+. Academic OneFile. Web. 1 June 2013.
"Luwa Air Engineering AG." Pakistan Textile Journal 62.3 (2013). Academic OneFile. Web.
1 June 2013.
Cited: The 11th Hour. Dir. Leila Connors Petersen and Nadia Connors. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio. Warner Independent Pictures, 2007. DVD. "Professional development courses." Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association 61.4 (2011): 470+. Academic OneFile. Web. 1 June 2013. "Luwa Air Engineering AG." Pakistan Textile Journal 62.3 (2013). Academic OneFile. Web. 1 June 2013.
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