Author: zairase

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Air pollution kills 4,000 people a day in China

Air pollution causes 4,000 deaths in China every single day. This is due to the emission of burning fossil fuels for heating homes and electricity. The air pollution is even higher in China during winter because people use fossil fuels to heat homes and keep warm. It was estimated that about 38% of the population in China lives in air polluted areas. Although, the U.S has some pollution, China’s air pollution keeps getting worse and people have to experience that on a daily basis.

 

It’s definitely sad and concerning that 4,000 people are dying in China everyday. It is hard to understand that their air pollution levels are extremely high and lead to so many dying. China is the most populated country, however, nobody should die because of the air they are breathing. Something should definitely be done to stop the country from becoming so polluted because it is not only their problem it is everyone’s problem. The pollution is going to continue to increase leading the number of 4,000 people dying to even more.

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/air-pollution-killing-4-000-china-day-us-study-finds-n409516

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Floods in China caused by air pollution.

A research was made to investigate if the amount of air pollution caused floods in China. Soot which is black carbon produced by fossil fuels leads the black carbon to stay in the atmosphere The soot has an impact in increasing temperatures which is what led to the flood when a lot of moisture was released by the clouds. The research used data from the time when the country wasn’t polluted and the days before the storm, and concluded that the flood wouldn’t have happened if the air wasn’t polluted as it was on the days of the floods.

 

I think it is very important for countries to know that if their levels of pollutions are high it is easier for natural events, such as floods, to form. This research is very worthy of everyone to know because this can encourage countries to reduce the amount of fossil fuels burned daily. Everyone believes that floods are caused naturally and that we cannot affect it, however, the pollution in the air has now a great impact on the weather.

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/07/16/421815633/how-air-pollution-may-have-caused-catastrophic-flooding-in-china


 

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Return of London’s Fog

 

Since the beginning of 2015 the air quality in London has been decreasing and exceeding the air pollution levels. Since the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution had an increase in the amount of burning fuels and the air pollution increased. In 1952, polluted fog which lasted about 5 days killed 4,000 people . Vehicles are the main source of pollution in London today. Although, the Clean Air Act was passed in that city since 1956 the air doesn’t seem to be getting better because of the pollution from vehicles.


Cars are causing a great impact in the air quality, not just in London but in the whole world. It is important that everyone understands that it is better to find better ways of transportation that will not pollute the air as much. Although, an initiative was taken in London since 1956 the air is not getting better. I think it is important that everyone tries whatever they can, like reduce the amount of times they drive, because the air is getting polluted everyday and someday it will be extremely polluted.  

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/opinion/sunday/the-return-of-londons-fog.html

 

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6 million can die every year from air pollution

Globally about 3 million people die prematurely from air pollution and it is expected to be 6.6 million by 2050. In Asia, low-quality fuels used for cooking and also heating and waste disposal has led to an increase of deaths. In Europe, East U.S, Russia, and other countries, the premature deaths from  air pollution come from agricultural emission. In the Middle East and North Africa the air pollution comes from the natural sources, such as storm dusts. Any increase of air pollution levels leads to a 3%  increase of deaths.

 

It is important to realize that the problem of air pollution is everywhere in the world. People should realize it doesn’t only come from driving cars but also other factors cause it, such as storm dusts. It is concerning to know that the amount of deaths caused by air pollution is higher than those from HIV, and that the deaths are going to increase even more by 2050. Everyone should take the initiative and do something before it is too late and we cannot revert or fix the harm we’ve done to the world.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/16/health/air-pollution-deaths-rising/index.html

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Indonesia evacuates infants from haze-affected regions

In Indonesia, fires have increased to the air pollution and therefore led to the evacuation of infants and their mothers. Air pollution higher than 300 is considered dangerous, but their air pollution reached a level of 1000. The fires that cause pollution are a cause of the forests fires and the peat fires to get rid of old crops and also for the new land.  Air pollution has been a problem in Indonesia for 18 years, and their condition doesn’t seem to get better. The air pollution has been expanding to nearby countries like Singapore and Malaysia.

 

I think it is very concerning that the air pollution levels in Indonesia have reached a level of 1000. It’s a great initiative that the infants and their mothers were evacuated from the harmful air. However, the problem needs to be solved and not be ignored by just moving the people from one place to another. The problem of air pollution is important, not just for Indonesia but for other countries because just like the air pollution is spreading to Malaysia and also Singapore it will continue to spread all over the world.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/01/asia/indonesia-evacuates-babies-haze/index.html

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Air pollution dangerously high for half of the US.

A report has found that 47% of Americans live in counties with harmful air pollutants. In California 5 communities had the worst air pollution. An increase in the amount of ozone was found and this could be very harmful for our lungs. Those who are exposed to the high levels of ozone usually have more respiratory problems. As of 2010 the U.S. has decreased the amount of air pollutants by 41%. The report found that the air quality has worsened from 2010 to 2012, there is higher risk at being exposed to the harmful pollutants.


This article is related to environmental science since it explains that a report was made on the counties with harmful pollutants. California had 5 of those communities showing that the vehicles and power plants are affecting California and people should reduce driving a lot. It is very surprising to me that California had 5 communities with the worst air pollutants. It is hard to believe that the state that I live in had bad air pollutants that can harm me.

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Supreme Court ruling may help clean the air.

 

The Supreme Court ruling will help clean the air by requiring power plants in 27 states to emission of key pollutants. The harmful pollutants include Nitrogen and Sulfur that can cause damage to the lungs when reacted with ozone. Some will only enact this during the summer, when the air quality is the worst, while others will change the maintenance. About 1,074 plants will be affected since they run on coal, gas, and oil. This new rule can prevent thousands of premature deaths in the U.S. It will also reduce the doctor visits due to respiratory problems.

 

This article related to environmental science because it is a step that humans are taking to prevent long term effects on the environment and also themselves. This will benefit the next generations due to the air not being as polluted by reducing the harmful pollutants. I think this ruling is a great one because finally something is being done to prevent the environment from becoming polluted. I was surprised to find out that this article is very recent, I believe something should’ve been done earlier to prevent the different pollutants from affecting the air quality.

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An “F” in air quality in CA National Parks

Yosemite National Park in California, amongst other California National Parks, was given an F in air quality. The parks were tested for ozone, a pollutant in smog which causes lung damage, and Yosemite Park was one of the parks with harmful levels of ozone. The worst air quality was found at Sequoia and Kings Canyon Park. The visibility of the parks and wilderness must be restored by 2064. In Joshua Tree National Park the visibility is not expected until 2106. Corrosive gas build up from vehicles, power plants, and factories can trigger respiratory problems.

 

This article relates to environmental science because the effect of humans in the world is having an effect on the environment and harming different National Parks. The effect is not only harming the environment but also affecting our health as well. The levels of ozone in the parks can cause lung damage. I was surprised that more than one park was affected in California and mostly all of them received an F in multiple categories. I was also surprised on how long it is expected for the natural visibility of the parks to be restored.

 

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Autism linked to air pollution

A study conducted in Harvard linked particles in pollution to autism. The pollutant particles are usually those by fires and vehicles, and industrial smokestacks. The study found no association to the pollutants early in pregnancy and even after the child was born, but high levels doubled the risk for autism.When the pregnant mother is exposed to the pollution particles it is believed that the particles can disrupt brain development, especially in the third trimester. Even though, autism is a genetic based disorder it is believed that the pollution also affects the unborn child.

 

This article is related to environmental science because the study proved that the particles in pollution in the air can be a risk factor to cause autism. This shows how the change in the environment by the pollution humans cause is having long term effects on us. I think it is important to consider something like air pollutants as a risk factor to cause autism because it’s something humans all over the world are exposed to. Therefore, I think this shows how the pollution humans cause has began to affect us and lead to autism.

 

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Air pollution molecules make key immune protein go haywire.

A study in Denver was conducted to determine what was affecting mice and potentially could harm human babies. The mice were exposed to free radical which is found in air pollution and this lead to turning on Ahr, which triggers asthma. About 20% died due to the regulatory T cells turning off which left the mice vulnerable. However, when the mice were given an antioxidant and then exposed to the pollution the immune systems were not affected. If the antioxidants were given to human babies it doesn’t mean that this would work because some antioxidants can’t block Ahr.

 

This article is related to environmental science because the pollutants in the air have been proven to turn on Ahr in mice which caused asthma and the pollutants can also harm human babies which not only affect infancy but it will also have a long term effect. In my opinion, I think it is a great idea to conduct research on how different pollutants in the air affects. I think this research is very important because we could be exposed to pollutants as babies and as we grow the exposure can cause long term effects.