They know it�s out there and it is a problem but excepting
skin cancer, there have been very few deaths with a direct
link to air pollution. It is probably because of this that people
aren�t as concerned with air pollution as they should be. Air
pollution has always been around, and has actually been on a
decline since the 1960�s (when coal was the major source of energy.)
It is relatively easy to decrease the amount of pollutants
we emit (each year new laws arise that crack down on
the amount of certain substances that can be released into the air)
but the harm has already been done, and next to impossible to
fix. The ozone layer is the part of the atmosphere that keeps
ultraviolet rays from penetrating humans and plants. But
because of all the air pollution, various chemicals are
slowly destroying the ozone layer. Each year the concentration
of the ozone decreases by approximately two percent and the
ozone layer over the South Pole is already fifty percent
of its
natural concentration. Ozone
depleters (the majority of which are
chlorofluorocarbons or CFC�s) react with
ultraviolet radiation and break down into their
component atoms, especially chlorine, bromine
and fluoride. These component atoms then go on
to steal an oxygen atom from the ozone layer
(opposite to the reaction which forms O3), thereby
destroying the ozone layer. This loss of protection from
UV rays can result in an increase of human skin cancer,
damage to various parts of the eyes as well as causing a
breakdown of the immune system. With health being such
a major issue in our society today, people have become
scared by this "outbreak" of cancer. People know that the
ozone layer is slowing depleting and that there is a health risk
involved with being in the sun for extended periods of time.
But very few people know that there is a connection between
this breakdown of the ozone layer and air pollution. Instead
of trying to control pollution emissions they just cut back on
their time outdoors, or wear more sunscreen. Ultraviolet
rays can also cause major environmental problems. These
rays enter the atmosphere and can kill small aquatic organisms,
such as plankton. When these small life forms decompose they
release carbon dioxide, CO2, another gas which can cause the
ozone layer to break down, thus resulting in a continuos cycle.
Another danger of air pollutants is before they get high
enough in the atmosphere to break down the ozone layer,
they are the leading cause of the greenhouse effect. These
chemicals reflect some of the earth�s heat back down to
earth, raising the surface temperature. The rise in
temperature is known as the greenhouse effect. If this
rise in temperature continues it could start to melt the
polar icebergs, which would result in the oceans rising
and in turn flooded coastal areas. This is one of the few
effects of pollution that our society is actively worried
about. The subject of the greenhouse effect is highly
publicized and therefore people know about the risks
concerning this topic. Even though people know about
the greenhouse effect, they fai,lonce again, to see the
why behind this event. People believe that the greenhouse
effect is due to the ozone layer breaking down and in
turn more ultraviolet rays enter our atmosphere
which is the reason the temperature is increasing.
Although this belief isn�t entirely accurate it is close
enough for our purposes. As in the case with the problems
of the ozone layer, society fails to see that this is all a
result of air pollution.
What can we do?
Although air pollution has relatively few immediate effects on humans at the present time it is important that we try to reduce the amount of pollutants we emit into the air. As discussed before the biggest cause of air pollution is use of transportation, followed by the combustion of fossil fuels. In the past thirty years many new standards have been passed in the United States which resulted in a dramatic reduction in the gases emitted by automobiles (such as the Clean Air Act of 1979). But even with these new laws air pollution is still on the increase. It is mostly due to the fact that there are more automobiles on the road today. Cars may be more efficient but there are too many of them, which in many ways dimishes their efficiency. One solution to this problem is encouraging people to carpool which would reduce the number of cars on the road and in turn reduce the amount of pollutants. Another solution is to make more laws enforcing more efficient cars. However this would cost car manufactures more money, resulting in more expensive cars which people wouldn�t want to buy. So the best solution to reducing the amount of pollutants emitted by automobiles is by encouraging people to carpool.
The combustion of fossil fuels is the other leading cause of
air pollution. Although the amount of pollutants these factories
emit has reduced since the 1950�s
(when coal was the primary source of energy) they
still release a large quantity of dangerous gases. More standards
can be enforced to reduce the emissions of these factories.
Nevertheless, as long as we rely on fossil fuels for energy these
factories will have to emit some sort of gas. At the moment, nuclear
energy appears to be the wave of the future and this type of energy
releases a lot less pollutants into the air than the combustion of oil
and coal. Although air pollution presents no immediate danger
it is important that we try to control the pollutants we emit.
Most of the harm has already been done and there are no
known ways to fix these problems. It is for this reason that
we try our best to help the situation as most as possible.
