What is Air Pollution?
by Mindy GrillAir pollution is commonly defined as any substance that is released into the air, and as a result changes the condition of the Earth’s atmosphere. It is on the rise due to poor air pollution control, and is often referred to as the depletion of the Earth’s ozone layer. The Ozone comprises a layer of the Earth’s stratosphere, and is the substance that prevents radiation and ultra violet light from harming the Earth’s inhabitants.
Effects and Causes of Air Pollution
Most scientists would agree that one of the primary causes is the burning of fossil fuels, such as gasoline and coal. Fossil fuels are used for a range of different things from heating to transportation, and are also widely used in manufacturing. The types of harmful substances released into the air from the burning of fossil fuel include carbon monoxide, lead, hydrocarbons, and sulfur dioxide. Fumes belched from our engines fill the atmosphere of our cities. Gas produced by burning coal and oil is carried away by winds to countries that are hundreds of miles away, making air pollution a global dilemma.
Air pollution statistics regarding the health effects indicate that concentrating on air pollution control is crucial. It is one of the main causes of such deadly diseases as asthma, emphysema, lung and heart disease, and other respiratory problems. Each year, millions of people die from these diseases, which are directly related to poor air quality. With these grim air pollution statistics in mind, national, state, and local governments are scrambling to control air pollution. Of course one of the ways to control air pollution in general is to find sources of fossil fuel that burn cleaner, and don’t release so many harmful byproducts into the air. But this is an expensive undertaking and hasn’t been met with resounding success. Around the world and locally, countries, states, and cities are looking at their own specific causes of air pollution in order to find a means to control it.
Air Pollution in Los Angeles
The causes of air pollution can vary from country to country, regionally, and even from city to city. For example, the causes of air pollution in Los Angeles are primarily from vehicle exhaust, unlike areas in the East Coast of the United States where primary causes stem from manufacturing. Other causes in Los Angeles include the sunny weather, which increases photochemical reactions in the atmosphere, and the lack of wind to push the pollution out of the city. Los Angeles has also experienced a tremendous growth in industry. And although the quality of air in Los Angeles is improving, air pollution statistics still indicate that Los Angeles has the worst in the United States. Most people are familiar with the city’s legendary smog.
To control air pollution in Los Angeles, California lawmakers created the South Coast Air Quality Management District to take charge. Some of the initiatives implemented include controls on consumer products such as solvents and paint, regulations mandating “clean construction,” as well as inventing methods of recovering the vapors released when petroleum products are burned.
Air Pollution in Mexico
On a worldwide level, across the border from California, the air quality in Mexico is some of the worst this world has seen. Air pollution in Mexico is mainly caused by automobile traffic, the result of overcrowded roads, and automobiles that are often old and environmentally unsound. Air pollution in Mexico varies among cities as well. For example, in Mexico City, where pollution levels are at their worst, the city’s geography, which places it below sea level and surrounded on three sides by mountains, causes the pollution to stay trapped in the atmosphere. In other Mexican cities that border the United States, the causes of poor air quality are primarily from the factories that have sprung up along the borders.
To implement air pollution control in Mexico, the government is looking at a host of different methods. First, in polluted cities, drivers are now required to have catalytic converters on their cars and in some places are prohibited by law from driving on one day a week. State owned oil companies are looking for ways to create new fuels with lower lead contents, which will have less harmful emissions. There’s also a push to improve the country’s mass transit system so that individual drivers in old, environmentally unsound cars can stay off the road.
The success of Mexico’s and Los Angeles’ plans for better air quality will depend on whether there’s enough funding for research and development of the proposed solutions. It will also depend on the people living in these areas to pitch in and help implement the recommended solutions.
