1. Atmospheric Pollution 1
Running head: Atmospheric Pollution
Atmospheric Pollution; Our Quality of Life is at Risk
Marie Bronstad
Axia College of University of Phoenix

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Atmospheric Pollution
Here in America, as well as other parts of the world, we strive to look for cures of many
different diesease. One of our biggest challenges has been the cure for cancer. Scientists have
come up with state of the art equipment to help detect cancer at early stages and give patients a
hope for life. Cancer is not our only problem; the world holds a bucket list of health issues. We
all want our quality of life to be 100% but I believe there is one environmental issue that has
implouded our quality of life which is Atmospheric Pollution.
As Morton Lippmann described from a study conducted in England (December, 2007),
diesel fuel operated transportation such as busses, taxis, and freightliners emit enough airborne
pollutants to ultimately affect people with respitory diseases such as Asthma. Diesel fuels emit
carbon dioxide and particle matter into the air. Anyone who has taken a proactive change in life
to help sustain our environment by walking is exposing themselves to these airborn pollutents,
especially in dense populated cities. We walk because simply, it is easier to get from point A to
point B. We engage in outdoor activity such as jogging to sustain our own health without
realizing our risks in the quality of air we have today. This is only touching the tip of the
iceburg; there are also issues with everday traffic back and fourth to conduct everyday business
in life personally and professionally. Carbon dioxide is one of the major pollutents in the air and
is responsible for 57% of the global warming trend (Socha, 2007).
Another issue contributing to the quality of air we breathe comes from coal-burning
power plants and the manfuacturing industry. The manufacturing industry has been steadily on
the rise. Industry contriubtes to 65% of air pollution with the US and Soviet Union responsible
for 50% of air pollution (Socha, 2007). In a report from the Celeveland Clinic (1995-2009),
Beryllium dust and particles also contribute to respitory issues and can even cause lung cancer.

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Beryllium, as described in the article, is a metal used in manufacturing because it is light, a good
conductor of heat and non-magnetic. It is widley used in manfacturing of cars, computers and
electrical equipment. The world is infested with cars, computers and electrical equipment; I can
only believe there is a toxic level of Beryllium dust and particles being pumped into the
atmosphere as well. While the manufacturing industry and transportation continues to increase, it
makes one think of what the root cause of our slowly decreasing quality of life is in humans,
wildlife and vegetation. Airborne pollution, I believe, fall under Newton’s law of gravity and
what goes up must come down, perhaps by another force such as rain, snow and fog.
Let’s think for a moment outside of industry and transportation, what we humans do to
contribute to air pollution and probably don’t realize what the adverse effect is. To name just a
few; many of us litter, smoke, do not recycle and are not contientious of the products we should
and should not buy such as Styrofoam. All these things ultimately effect and destroy vegetation
in some form. This, added to the constant construction of residential and commercial building is
a recipe for destruction? Trees play a big part in controlling air pollution as they convert Carbon
Dioxide into oxygen (Socha, 2007). We clear cut thousands of trees each year to develop land. A
mature tree can expose up to 200,000 leaves. One tree can inhale approximately 9,400 liters of
cabon dioxide turning it into 9,400 liters of oxygen (Socha 2007). It takes one tree 20 to 100
years to mature. When we clear cut trees for land development, we can not possibly grow more
trees quick enough to reverse the effects of clear cutting. Ultimately, air pollution will become
concentrated and produce toxic levels of air quality forming free radicals in our bodies as we
inhale. This is where our trend in increased dieseases begins.
Air pollution globally will be challenging. Current strategies at a local level include
resources provided by cities to help with recycling and city ordinances on consequences of not
recycling. At a global level, renewable resources of energy such as solar energy is being

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researched and introduced as a means of power which could ultimately eliminate coal-burning
powerplants someday. There has been controversy on the fact that our manufacturing industries
are harming public health and must therfore, be forced to comply with even more stringent
regulations (Schlesinger, 2003). It is feared such compliance would drive manufacturing
industry out of business. This argument itself will pose an ongoing challenge to clean up overall
air quality. Airborn pollution isn’t a matter of driving our industry out of business; it is a matter
of finding cleaner ways to produce. Material management may need to be revised which could
include installation of smoke stack scrubbers to help eliminiate much of the pollution emitted
into the air. Help from the Government such as incentive programs could be offered to indutries
to encourage reduction of air pollution. Incentive programs could include tax breaks or grants to
assist in the installation of scrubbers. Perhaps the incentive programs could be limited to larger
industries that produce high emittence of air pollution.
I believe solar energy can be introduced as a means of electrical power; it can be
introduced to the transportation industry. Rather than plugging in our electrical vehicles for a
recharge, why not let them recharge by built in solor panels as well. If electrical vehicles could
recharge by solar energy, the only time an electrical plug in recharge would be needed would be
during the night hours or perhaps on cloudy days. I think solar energy could be a major solution
to the ever growing threats of air pollution. However, I feel scientists need to research what
human, vegetation and wildlife effects there could be with the potential amount of solar energy
that could be bounced around. If we incorpoarted solar energy to replace many of the fuel
operated equipment used daily, would solar energy create skin conditions from the rays? Would
it affect eye site? What would happen if to much carbon dioxide was eliminated, would our
oxygen supply be at risk? Is there enough daylight in winter months to provide solar energy?
Our biggest challenge globally, will be finding a fine balance and discovering what areas of the

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world would benefit most from solar energy. Carbon dixoide seems to be a double edge sword;
too much of it contributes to global warming. As mentioned, it is also what trees convert into
oxygen for us.
At a global level, our governments need to provide proper funding to allow scitentists a
thourough research on renewable energy. Research would need to include, health affects of
soloar energy, how much sun is needed to produce solar energy daily, where would solar energy
best be utilize in this world based on whether condictions and daylight hours. One thing is
certain, we can not allow resources to be spent or placed in areas where solar energy will not be
as effective. Other renewable resources may need to be research and considered where solar
energy may not be as beneficial. A combination of renewable and non-renewable energy may be
the solution to the fine balance of energy resources.
In order to reach sustainablity in our environment and improve our quality of life, globally
we must all be a part of the solution. If we are not a part of the solution, then we are a part of the
problem. Sustaining our environment will be greatly hamppered by education starting with the
elementary years. Our schools need to become involved with growing concerns of airborne
pollutents which can be discussed and taught not only in science classes but in health classes.
Stricter requirements of credits needed in environmental and health classes should be introduced
to highschool graduation. Schools should actively participate in Arbor Day by having students
each plant a trees, this does not exclude adults. Perhaps the Government could declare arbor day
a Holiday and force all business’s to shut down for a day in recognition of the ongoing airborne
pollution issues we all face every day; allow employees a day off to plant a tree. At a state
Government level, tax incentives could be offered to get more people actively involved with
programs in sustaining our environment. At a local and community level, we must all do our
little part on daily basis to sustain our environment. Do not buy styrofoam, eliminate toxic

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chemicals including aersols, slow our powerplants down by conserving energy; keeps lights
turned off when they are not needed, do not use paper bags which depletes our trees, use bags
that can be reused or recylced, walk to our destinations when we can. Increased campaign adds
on environment sustainablity may help educate the world on current environmental risks as well.
If our nation pulled together to battle airborne pollutents, we could witness and experience
an ever changing improved quality of life with a handful of benefits. We may benefit from a
decreased level of disease. Perhaps astma patients would be able to endure life without their
inhalers by their side. Perhaps certain cancers would disipate leaving scientists more time and
resources to research cancers with lower survival rates. Our veggetation and crops might become
more healthy and perhaps more plentiful; perhaps, fertilizers would not be needed to grow large
luscious consumable crops. If our vegetation and crops are not absorbing air pollutents returned
to earth by way of rain, snow and fog, perhaps we would not have disease control crisis such as
chronic wasting diesease in deer. Our fish would not be contaminated with traces of mercury and
our water resources would be cleansed. Some of these benefits may seem far stretched, but I can
not see reason to not make a proactive change in society by controlling air pollution starting
today. In the whole scheme of things, it seems to me atmospheric air pollution is the ultimate
hazard affecting quality of life in all living plants and animals.
References
Lippmann, M. (2007, December). Health effects of airborne particulate matter. New England
Journal of Medicine, 357(23), 2395-2397. Retrieved March 13, 2008, from EBSCOhost
database.
Cleveland Clinic. (1995-2009). Beryllium Disease. Retrieved September 13, 2009, from

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www.clevelandclinic.org/health
Socha, T. (2007, September) Air Pollution Causes and Effects, Retrieved September 13, 2009
From Http://healthandenergy.com/air_pollution_causes.htm
Schlesinger, R B (March 2003). The Particulate Air Pollution Controversy: a Case Study and
Lessons Learned. Environmental Health Perspectives, 111, 3. P.A178 (1).
Retrieved September 13, 2009, from General OneFile via Gale:
http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS