In the United States., Congress established the Environmental Protection Agency and passed numerous laws for pollution control. Waste disposal long considered routine has become an increasingly complex science and a major industrial challenge. Waste disposal specialists seek solutions to the safe disposal of many hazardous substances, including highly toxic radioactive wastes. Air is essential to life. The average person takes about 20,000 breaths a day, processing almost 3,000 gallons of air or almost two gallons of air per minute.
Diseases aggravated by air pollution include chronic sinusitis, bronchitis, asthma and allergies.
Studies suggest that air pollution can contribute to pulmonary problems in developing fetuses and young children, as well as damage to the immune system in adults. The people most vulnerable to health effects of air pollution are children, the elderly, those who work or exercise outdoors and those with chronic respiratory ailments. Children are at the greatest risk from air pollution because they breathe in far more air per pound of body weight than adults and their respiratory systems are still developing. Elderly people lose important respiratory defense mechanisms as they age. Healthy people of all ages who exert themselves strenuously by exercising or working outdoors are affected by air pollution as they are more likely to breathe fast and inhale deeply.