Air Pollution Essay, Research Paper

Is the air that we are breathing killing us? In this speech you will learn all that you need to know about air pollution. First I will give you the causes of air pollution, then I will list the effects of it, and finally I will tell you how we can prevent air pollution.

The average person takes about twenty thousand breaths a day, obviously air is essential to life. Well imagine that the air that you are breathing may be killing you, many diseases are aggravated by air pollution. Scientists believe that all cities with populations exceeding 50,000 have some degree of air pollution. Burning garbage in open dumps causes air pollution, and also it smells pretty bad. Air pollution comes from many different sources. One of the major sources is carbon monoxide which manly comes from automobiles, but also burning of fossil fuels, CFCs etc. Air pollution does not leave the Earth it all gets trapped up in the atmosphere. This doesn’t bother most people, and they think that it will not harm them. People burn down forests and people burn fossil fuels, and CFCs from aerosols. Every bit of this harms our atmosphere. Factories and transportation depend on huge amounts of fuel billions of tons of coal and oil are consumed around the world every year. When these fuels burn they introduce smoke and other, less visible, by-products into the atmosphere. Although wind and rain occasionally wash away the smoke given off by power plants and automobiles, the cumulative effe! ct of air pollution poses a grave threat to humans and the environment. A big example of smog is LA you can see the smog just hovering above the city. I don’t think any human alive should be subject to that kind of environment. Scientists believe that all cities with populations exceeding 50,000 have some degree of air pollution. Burning garbage in open dumps causes air pollution Scientist have discovered that over the South Pole the ozone has a high level of ozone depletion.

Those diseases include asthma, chronic sinusitis, bronchitis, and allergies. Pollution also has been linked to pulmonary problems in developing fetuses, and damage to the immune system in adults. Those that are most vulnerable to problems of air pollution are the elderly and children, along with people who work and exercise outside frequently and those with chronic respiratory ailments. Due to the fact that children inhale more air per pound, and that the elderly lose important defense mechanisms as they age. Working outdoors may cause you to breathe at a faster rate and inhale deeper. Which causes high student absences and missed days of work, along with higher health insurance cost.

There are many causes of air pollution, but the main causes of pollution are motor vehicles. Motor vehicles contribute 40% of pollutants to react with sunlight to cause ground level ozone also called smog. Ozone causes burning of eyes, nose, and tissue in lungs, like sunlight burns your skin. Another cause being a lawn mower, a gas-powered lawn mower can cause the same amount of air pollution as driving a new car three hundred and forty miles. Other causes include that of factories, wood burning, and human error.

Now after you have heard about air pollution and all of its dangers I will tell you how you can help prevent air pollution. First you can start by conserving energy everywhere that you go such as your home, work, and school. Be careful not to spill fuel while filling up gas tank and to tighten your gas cap tightly. Keep your car, boat, and other vehicles tuned up according to owner specifications, and carpool, ride a bike and walk as much as possible. Along with using environmentally safe paint and cleaning utensils. You can conserve energy by turning up your air conditioner up higher. In your vehicle try to refill your tank after dusk, combine trips and errands, and limit engine idling.

In conclusion I believe that we can stop air pollution and ground level smog be being more efficient in the way we live. I hope that after you heard about the causes, effects, and solutions to air pollution you will want to help prevent it. So do what you can and conserve the air today.