English 2010

Jim Beatty

March 20, 2017

Jonathan Wilson
Pollution in Every Breath

To be concerned about your heath is a common human behavior. Its

important to be aware of what we take into our bodies and if its going to be harmful

or hurtful. Its harder however to know the effects of an unseen health hazard from

something so natural and instinctive, each breath of air. All around the world, as

well as our own Salt Lake Valley, there are an increasing number of related health

problems and deaths resulting from pollution in the very air we breathe. With a new

eye to see the previously unseen hazard of pollutants in your air, lets look at what

is happening in the world around us to cause this, as well as what can be done

about this globally growing problem.

National Wildlife Federation representative Curtis A. Moore spent July-

November of 1995 traveling city to city around the world to research about the air

quality and its effects. He found that the simple act of breathing exacts an

alarming toll on human health. The most impacting to him was a story of a young

infant named Kazue Doi in Japan, who coughed blood her entire life. It was short

lived though as she died at only a year old from the sulfurous air pollution. Eiko, her

mother, still coughs blood. Along with Doi, millions in Japan breathe that same air,

and some even have that same devastating result. Curtis noted how its not just
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Jonathan Wilson
Japan, but there are 60,000 deaths yearly in the United States from particulate air

pollution (Moore).

Pollution in the air such as Sulfur dioxide, which is the same pollutant that

killed young Doi, is an invisible pollutant produced naturally from the combustion of

oil, diesel fuel or sulfur-containing coal. In Thailand where sulfur dioxide was being

produced, one winter inversion trapped the air and caused more than 4,000 people

to need medical attention. In Utah, Particulate air pollution is the most common and

is made up of extremely tiny particles from the burning of fossil fuels, widely from

buses, motorcycles and diesel trucks that poof huge clouds of thick black smoke.

Just as in Thailand when the air was trapped, Salt Lakes inversions cause a lot of

the same effects from this air being trapped, some going unnoticed, although the

big grey murky sky that lasts for months sure isnt (Moore).

In a book titled, Air Pollution and Health, it describes just how impactful sulfur

dioxide is to health, and how reducing sulfur-containing coal consumption makes a

difference. data describing the consequences of inventions leading to changes in

the composition of ambient pollutants have confirmed that decreases in both

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Jonathan Wilson
particulate matter and Sulphur dioxide are associated with both immediate and

long-term cardiovascular health benefits. Following a ban on coal sales within the

city of Dublin in September of 1990, Clancy and colleagues found a reduction in

annual cardiovascular death rates of 10.3%, associated with a reduction in black

smoke concentration of 35.6 mg/m3 (Cardiovascular effects of Particles, 23

Richards).

Have you ever seen a car burn out as they leave a stop sign and see that

huge cloud of black smoke? Have you ever wondered what effects that will have on

the environment, or even on you? Have you ever been admitted to the hospital for

any of the following: Head cold, stuffy nose, wet coughs, burning eyes, sinusitis,

wheezing, phlegm, chest discomfort, shortness of breath, or even lung disease? All

are effects of air pollution. Its a bigger problem than we may think. Across the

globe, 5.5 million human lives will be lost prematurely due to breathing polluted air,

most of them being in China and India. What China is earnestly doing to improve air

quality is equipping automobiles with cleaner technology, and lowering the amount

of particulates power plants spew. Its good to know that the world leaders in

industry is starting to make changes towards cleaner air, though the problem
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Jonathan Wilson
persists. Michael Brauer is a professor at the UBC, University of British Colombias

School of Population and Public Health said, air pollution by far the leading

environmental risk factor for disease, and reducing air pollution is an incredibly

efficient way to improve the health of a population (Fears).

If we look around the globe, major cities are the most impacted by pollution.

The WHO database, World Health Organization, shows that there are far too many

cities that go 5-10 levels above that which WHO recommends the particulate air

matter should be at. The highest polluted city recorded by WHO database shows

Ontsha in Nigeria which is high commuter, fast growing city with levels at 600

micrograms per cubic meter which is around 30 times the recommended 20

micrograms per cubic meter. Director of WHO in Geneva Dr. Maria Neira said its

dramatic, one of the biggest problems we are facing globally, with terrible future

costs to society (Vidal).

Detrimental to our health, air pollution like sulphates, black carbon and

nitrates which harm by penetrating deep into lung tissue and get into the

cardiovascular system. Surprisingly, outdoor pollution is the biggest single killer in

the world. The thing that is hard to change is that cities with large industrial plants
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Jonathan Wilson
that also contain lots of poverty and no one can really afford to live a clean lifestyle.

Dan Greenbaum , the president of the nonprofit Health Effects Institute in Boston,

said on this issue, Its harder to solve the household problems because these are

poor families that can't convert to electric stoves. People who are in the kitchen,

women primarily, are exposed to extremely high levels of pollution" (fears).

Now, there are of course many things in the world that are hard to change,

and will not change overnight. However, there are things we can do every day,

wherever you may find yourself, to contribute to a cleaner world, safer air and a

lower carbon footprint. On Breath Utahs website, they give a lot of eye opening

facts, as well as practical ways to do contribute in small and simple ways. Utahs

highest contributor to the air pollution is the burning of fossil fuels and coal, and at

least half

come from diesel and gasoline fuel. The first tip as you may see from this fact, is to

drive less. Everything else is just a spinoff of that. Carpool and plan your trips.

Especially when there is an inversion, trapping all that smog and soot for long

periods of time making our air reach extremely harmful levels of PM, particulate

matter. Combine your trips, going to the store and everywhere else you need all
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together or just one stop all together. Another impactful and interesting thing to do,

is to drive the speed limit, and not accelerate too fast after a stop. Doing so burns

more fuel, faster, so you will also be saving money on gas in the long run as well.

The easiest tip on the list but, possibly the most over looked is to not leave your car

idle. They even go as far to say if you are going to be more than 10 seconds, to turn

off your car. Makes me think twice about going through the drive through instead of

getting to-go inside. And lastly, they talk about coal is used to power electricity, so

conserve power by turning off lights and appliances when they are not in use

(Breathe Utah).

In conclusion, air pollution is a global problem, as well as right outside your

front door. It causes millions to die prematurely each year, the most occurring in

China. The effects of air pollution are far reaching and long lasting, and fortunately

there are steps being taken to improve air and make cleaner technology. Many

places in the world cant afford these major changes, but by educating ourselves

with the facts, we can help make a difference in the world around us. There are

many practical ways to

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Jonathan Wilson
reduce the amount of pollution you contribute, most of it having to do with your

vehicle. With these simple and practical ways, we can make a large and lasting

impact in the world in which we live as well as in ourselves as we are breathing

easy, being healthier, and feeling good for having made that difference.

Bibliography
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Jonathan Wilson
Breathe Utah - Common Questions About Air Quality. breathutah2017,
breatheutah.org/issues/common-questions#what-can-i-do-to-reduce-my-
contribution-to-the-smog-problem. Accessed 20 Mar. 2017.
Fears, Darryl. "More than 5 Million People a Year Will Die from Polluted Air."
Washington Post, 14 Feb, 2016, pp. A.3, SIRS Issues Researcher,
https://sks.sirs.com.libprox1.slcc.edu.
Moore, Curtis A. "Poisons in the Air." International Wildlife, 1995, pp. 38-45, SIRS
Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.libprox1.slcc.edu.
Richards, Roy, et al. Air Pollution and Health. Imperial College Press, 2006. Air Pollution Reviews. EBSCOhost,
libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=210866&site=eds-live.

Vidal, John. "Air Pollution Rising at an 'Alarming Rate' in World's Cities." The
Guardian, 12 May, 2016, pp. 16, SIRS Issues Researcher,
https://sks.sirs.com.libprox1.slcc.edu.