Exposure to air pollution increases violent crime rates. (2019, October 3). Retrieved March 8, 2020, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191003114007.htm

A group of economists and scientists at Colorado State University found a link between short term exposure to air pollution and aggressive behavior. Aggressive behavior was defined as any aggravated assaults or other violent crimes. The group observed crime records and county-level air pollution trends to find the connection. It was found that assaults increased by around 1.15% when exposed to a .01 ppm increase of ozone in the same day. As noted in the article, assault doesn’t have to be physical and can be verbal. Lastly, it was found that a 10% reduction in daily PM2.5 could saved around 1.1 million dollars in crime costs.

I was so confused about this when I first read it. It’s interesting to see how air pollution has many other negative effects besides the damaging the environment. The stat about decreasing PM2.5 by 10% daily really stood out to me because it shows the impact air pollution can have in other industries. Knowing that over a million dollars could be saved because of air pollution’s affect on crime is crazy. Yet, nothing like this has ever been discussed in the media. Of course more evidence is needed in order to form a stronger claim, but this is a huge deal. As discussed earlier, this shows how environmental science isn’t limited at all and can include a ton of other sciences and topics all into one. 

Schumaker, E. (2019, October 28). US air quality declines after years of improvement. Retrieved March 8, 2020, from https://abcnews.go.com/US/us-air-quality-declines-years-improvement/story?id=66582569 

After a decade of progress, the air quality has gotten worse since 2016. New research found that the total fine particulate pollution in the United States has risen around 5.5% since 2016. After a dip of 25% in the last decade, this is the first time it has risen in over a decade. Fine particulate pollution consists of soot, dust and other small chemicals. While the fine particulate pollution slightly dropped in regions like the Northeast and the South, it has increased largely in the West and Midwest regions. This increase is likely due to the President’s ideas of economic growth and less environmental regulations, as well as the wildfires in the West region.

It’s awful to see how all the progress the country was making all goes to waste. Although we may see environmental issues as a top priority, it shows that certain people don’t. I was surprised to see that the pollution slightly dropped in the south, as there are many industrial factories in that region. It’s also very difficult to see how the president continues to deny that anything is happening and is resistant to environmental change. One part in the article references that President Trump said “Our air right now and our water right now is as clean as its been in decades.”, which is completely false. I hope that people can realize the urgency of this problem and act to help support change.

Poon, L., Poon, L., & CityLab. (2020, February 28). Calling Out the Super Polluters. Retrieved March 8, 2020, from https://www.citylab.com/environment/2020/02/toxic-100-air-quality-study-reveals-us-super-polluters/606931/ 

A recent study found that in the United States, 100 industrial buildings and smokestacks make up around one-third of the countries toxic air emissions. The data shows that a total of 4.7 billion tons of toxic chemicals, like carcinogens and metals, were released into the atmosphere. Of the 15,500 companies on the EPA’s toxic release inventory, 100 of them accounted for 1.8 billion tons. Most of these companies are located in the midwest or southeastern regions. Around 250 people live within a mile of each of these 100 facilities, mainly low income neighborhoods. If the area is expanded to 3 miles, a total of 1.6 million people are affected, with an estimated 112,000 children under 5 years old.

It’s very saddening to know how these companies are having such a huge impact but seem to be doing anything about it. There is a good chance that exposure to such toxins will have a harmful effect on these people, especially young children. I’m also confused on the government regulation. The government should put a limit on how many toxins a company can put into the air. In addition, people should kept outside of a five mile radius of the factory. The fact that people live within a mile of factories emitting potentially lethal chemical is terrible. Releasing these results is a good step in the right direction because it will attempt to hold these companies accountable and realize the impact they have on their local community. Lastly, I would like to know the specific toxins these companies are releasing and the effects they have

DiSalvo, D. (2020, March 8). Yes, Air Pollution Is Affecting Our Mental Health. Retrieved March 8, 2020, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/neuronarrative/202003/yes-air-pollution-is-affecting-our-mental-health

Multiple studies are beginning to find a link between air pollution exposure and mental health. One study done on children, found that being exposed to air pollution can cause symptoms of certain disorders, like anxiety and suicidality, to be increased within a couple days of exposure. Another study found that when healthy children were exposed to high traffic related pollution, they showed symptoms of general anxiety through neuroimaging. With the Clean Air Act facing potential rollbacks, it is concerning to find this new connection between childhood minds and air pollution

I was a little questionable when I first opened the article, but after reading, the connection makes sense. It seems like the bad air quality makes these kids stressed, which adds on to the other problems they are having in their lives. I wonder if more evidence comes out to support this, will it affect where families choose to live. For example, Los Angeles is highly populated and is the most polluted city in the United States. Will people choose to leave the area because of this. There is air pollution everywhere and it can definitely spread, but certain areas are way worse than others. Lastly, this article interested me because it continues to show how broad of a topic environmental science is, as it covers not only the literal science behind it, like air pollution, but also deals with ethical issues, like the affects that this pollution has on other people.

Chu, J., & MIT News Office, J. (2020, February 12). Half of U.S. deaths related to air pollution are linked to out-of-state emissions. Retrieved March 8, 2020, from http://news.mit.edu/2020/half-us-deaths-air-pollution-out-state-0212

A new study from MIT found that around 60%  of deaths from pollution in the United States come from other states. It focused on pollution between 2005 and 2018. Overall, air pollution related deaths have decreased around 30% from 2005 to 2018. New computer technology allowed the scientists to track where the pollution was formed and how is traveled throughout the country. Some of the pollution affected countries adjacent to each other, but certain types of pollution were able to travel around 1,000 miles. For example, pollution from electricity generation was able to travel the farthest whereas pollution from residential areas couldn’t travel far.

I think this very interesting, especially how pollution can travel so far. Immediately after reading the article, I thought it was going to discuss how pollution was going to states right next to each other. I was surprised to here that certain types of pollution can travel close to 1,000 miles. This raises many issues, like social and environmental justice. For example, in the one activity where we looked at how each state produces their electricity, Idaho produced mostly all its electricity with renewable resources where as Wyoming relied mainly on coal. While Idaho is doing their part, Wyoming could be responsible for some deaths in Idaho. This shows how environmental issues, like air pollution, take everyone to commit, not just a few states or countries.

Arenschield, L. (2019, November 6). Nature might be better than tech at reducing air pollution. Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://news.osu.edu/nature-might-be-better-than-tech-at-reducing-air-pollution/.

A new study shows that planting trees and plants near factories could reduce pollution by 27 percent on average. In addition, plants would be a much cheaper option rather than new technology. They estimated the impact of plants on the two most common air pollutants: Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogen Dioxide. The study did not include the impact of plants on ozone pollution. The reduction percentage depended on the area’s previous air quality and the region, as more plants will grow in Oregon versus Arizona. The study also took into consideration two different options of simply planting more plants and restoring old plants back to full health.

I always thought that just planting trees wouldn’t do anything to air pollution, but this study proves me wrong. The study was a little unclear in how many trees and plants were used, which is a huge factor. Another thing that was unclear was the technology that the tree planting was being compared to. But, overall, the study helps prove a realistic solution to air pollution. This solution also doesn’t require a crazy amount of money as well. Ordinary people can go to the store and buy a tree. If enough people did this along with additional government assistance, air pollution could significantly go down without having to buy expensive technology. Plus, more plant life has other benefits, like habitat for animals and aesthetic value.

Irfan, U. (2019, November 8). The law that’s helping fuel Delhi’s deadly air pollution. Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/11/8/20948348/delhi-india-air-pollution-quality-cause.

On monday, November 11th, the AQI in Delhi reached 999, the worst possible rating. The air was so bad that breathing it was the equivalent of smoking 50 cigarettes a day. During November, there are very few winds and with the himalayas nearby, the pollution gets trapped inside the city. Transportation and construction are the two largest factors of this air quality problem. In Delhi, there are close to 10 million vehicles, most of which run on a two stroke engine, which are much less efficient than four stroke engines. Lastly, a main cause of Delhi’s poor air quality started back in 2009. Farming techniques were beginning to improve and the amount of food being produced was skyrocketing. Unfortunately, this new process requires farmers to burn shrubs every fall so they can prepare to plant for the winter season

Some of the information in this article was absolutely crazy. Breathing the air is the equivalent of smoking 50 cigarettes a day. Relating back to the other article about Delhi’s air pollution, I’m so confused about how this problem isn’t the country’s first priority. Delhi’s population is huge and they are slowly becoming more and more urban, largening their ecological footprints. Whether it’s creating a one child policy or finding better farming tactics, Delhi’s air problem is affecting themselves and the rest of the world. I personally think that the world should start advocating for India to join environmental deals or push their government to take action because of how serious this problem is

Sakas, M. E. (2019, October 22). Questions Raised Over Whether The Cannabis Industry Is Contributing To Air Pollution. Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://www.npr.org/2019/10/22/772368829/questions-raised-over-whether-the-cannabis-industry-is-contributing-to-air-pollu.

There are questions whether the cannabis industry is contributing to air pollution or not. Since cannabis has not been federally legalized yet, it is very hard to measure this since there is still some illegal use that needs to be taken into consideration. Cannabis includes organic compounds called terpenes. These terpenes are considered VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). VOCs are in many other products like paint and nail polish remover. These VOCs aren’t harmful unless they are combined with other gases. If these VOCs mix with other gases they form ozone, a harmful form of air pollution. It is also very hard to measure even in states where it is legally because different types of cannabis release different amounts of terpenes.

This article was very interesting to me as I had no clue that cannabis could have such an effect on the environment. I have never heard much about cigarettes affecting air pollution, so I always just assumed it must be the same, but apparently it’s not. I wonder if this idea has any influence on states or the national government’s decision to make it legal. If something is eventually found about the correlation between cannabis and air pollution, I would expect states that have legalized it or the federal government to possibly step in, as we don’t need another factor adding to our pollution problem

Sisson, P. (2019, October 11). Global cities sign Clean Air Cities Declaration, pledging to fight air pollution crisis. Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://www.curbed.com/2019/10/11/20907990/air-pollution-cities-air-quality-smog-c40.

At the C40 World Mayors Summit, 35 cities agreed to help fight air pollution. Some of the cities include Los Angeles, Houston, Washington D.C, Mexico City and Paris. The agreement pushes cities to set ambitious pollution goals to try and meet the World Health Organization guidelines. The agreement also states that these cities will implement strict clean air policies by 2025. It’s estimated that around 100,000 Americans die every year due to problems caused by air pollution, more than car crashes and gun violence combined. Predictions show that if these 35 cities can meet the World Health Organization guidelines, it will prevent around 40,000 deaths per year

This agreement is huge for the future of our environment. Some of these cities, like Los Angeles, not only are very polluted but have a huge influence on the rest of the world. If plans like these start to work, it could lead the way for other cities to follow along, overall helping the problem of air pollution. I was really surprised to see that with only these 35 cities, 40,000 deaths could be prevented. Even just adding another 10 to 15 more cities could make this number close to 50,000. Also the statistic about air pollution problems killing more people than car crashes and gun violence combined was eye opening. It seems like those issues get talked about so much, but even though air pollution causes more deaths, it isn’t talked about as a threat like the other two.

Vij, S. (2019, November 6). Schools were shut and flights diverted. But air pollution still isn’t a political issue in India. Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/06/india/india-air-pollution-not-political-issue-intl-hnk/index.html.

Air pollution hit record highs in Delhi last week. The pollution was so bad that many flights had to be diverted and people claimed to have persistent headaches and burning in their eyes. Even with all these problems, the people still don’t view air pollution as a serious issue. The World Health Organization reported that up to 4.2 million people die every year due to problems caused by air pollution. Many residents think about the issue for a few weeks during the winter when the smog gets very thick, but once it clears away in a month or two, people seem to forget about it. Although their presidential elections are in February, it doesn’t appear that any of the candidates see pollution as a major problem to address 

This issue is closely related to environmental science in many ways. First off, Delhi is the second most populated city in the world. The air pollution is caused by and is affecting millions of people in this area. Awareness needs to be brought here to help these people realize the damage they are causing to their city but also globally. I was very surprised to hear about how lightly the people and politicians took the issues. I would think that if your eyes hurt from the air quality, even if it’s only for three weeks of the year, people would be more conscious and worried about the issue. And although the pollution is only this bad for three weeks, it is consistently bad the entire year, but it just isn’t as noticeable