AIR POLLUTION
Tags: Air Pollution Control, Pollution, Health, Environment, Safety

Air pollution refers to the release of pollutants into the air that are detrimental to human health and the planet as a whole.

CAUSES

Most air pollution comes from energy use and production. Burning fossil fuels releases gases and chemicals into the air. And in an especially destructive feedback loop, air pollution not only contributes to climate change but is also exacerbated by it.

Air pollution in the form of carbon dioxide and methane raises the earth’s temperature. Another type of air pollution is then worsened by that increased heat: Smog forms when the weather is warmer and there’s more ultraviolet radiation. Climate change also increases the production of allergenic air pollutants including mold and pollen.

EFFECTS

1: Smog and soot

These two are the most prevalent types of air pollution. Smog, or “ground-level ozone,” as it is more wonkily called, occurs when emissions from combusting fossil fuels react with sunlight. Soot, or “particulate matter,” is made up of tiny particles of chemicals, soil, smoke, dust, or allergens, in the form of gas or solids that are carried in the air.

Smog can irritate the eyes and throat and also damage the lungs — especially of people who work or exercise outside, children, and senior citizens. It’s even worse for people who have asthma or allergies — these extra pollutants only intensify their symptoms and can trigger asthma attacks.

2: Hazardous air pollutants

These are either deadly or have severe health risks even in small amounts. Almost 200 are regulated by law; some of the most common are mercury, lead, dioxins, and benzene. Benzene, classified as a carcinogen by the EPA, can cause eye, skin, and lung irritation in the short term and blood disorders in the long term. Dioxins, more typically found in food but also present in small amounts in the air, can affect the liver in the short term and harm the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems, as well as reproductive functions. Lead in large amounts can damage children’s brains and kidneys, and even in small amounts it can affect children’s IQ and ability to learn. Mercury affects the central nervous system.

3: Greenhouse gases

By trapping the earth’s heat in the atmosphere, greenhouse gases lead to warmer temperatures and all the hallmarks of climate change: rising sea levels, more extreme weather, heat-related deaths, and increasing transmission of infectious diseases like Lyme.

Another class of greenhouse gases, hydrofluorocarbons are thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide in their ability to trap heat.

4: Pollen and Mold

Mold and allergens from trees, weeds, and grass are also carried in the air, are exacerbated by climate change, and can be hazardous to health. They are not regulated by the government and are less directly connected to human actions, but they can be considered air pollution.

Pollen allergies are worsening because of climate change. “Lab and field studies are showing that the more carbon dioxide pollen-producing plants — especially ragweed — are grown in, the bigger they grow and the more pollen they produce.

HOW TO HELP REDUCE AIR POLLUTION

The less gasoline we burn, the better we’re doing to reduce air pollution and harmful effects of climate change .Make good choices about transportation when you can, walk, ride a bike, or take public transportation. Buying your food locally cuts down on the fossil fuels burned in trucking or flying food in from across the country. And perhaps most important, support leaders who push for clean air and water and responsible steps on climate change.