Vndkvbmsibsbdkdj

1. Environmental protection act

2. Context
1
What Is the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA)?
2 Air
3
Air Quality
4 Air Pollution
5
Water
6 Water quality
7
Water pollution

3. What Is the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA)?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in December
1970 by the executive order of President Richard Nixon. It is an agency of the
United States federal government whose mission is to protect human and
environmental health. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the EPA is
responsible for creating standards and laws promoting the health of
individuals and the environment.

4. KEY TAKEAWAYS
The Environmental
Protection Agency
is a United States
federal government
agency whose
mission is to protect
human and
environmental
health.
The agency
enforces its findings
through fines,
sanctions, and other
procedures.
Some of the areas
that aren’t covered
by the EPA include
wildlife, wetlands,
food safety, and
nuclear waste.

5. Air
Clean air sustains human, animal, and plant life on Earth. The composition of
trace gases in the atmosphere plays an important role in affecting the climate.
Air pollution can adversely affect critical functions of the atmosphere in many
ways:
Air pollution, whether indoors or outdoors, is associated with a number of
human health effects, including heart attacks, asthma attacks, bronchitis,
hospital and emergency room visits, work and school days lost, restricted
activity days, respiratory symptoms, and premature mortality.
Certain types of outdoor air pollution can impair visibility and, when deposited
on the Earth's surface through rain and other processes, damage other valued
resources, such as forests, lakes and streams, and building and road
surfaces.
On a global scale, air pollution can change the atmosphere's composition with
important consequences, including depletion of the Earth's ozone layer and
climate change.

6. Air Quality
The Air Quality Index (AQI) is used for reporting daily air quality. It tells you
how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health effects might be
a concern for you. The AQI focuses on health effects you may experience
within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. EPA calculates the AQI
for five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: ground-level
ozone, particle pollution (also known as particulate matter), carbon monoxide,
sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. For each of these pollutants, EPA has
established national air quality standards to protect public health. Ground-
level ozone and airborne particles are the two pollutants that pose the
greatest threat to human health in this country.

7. Air pollution
Key facts: Air pollution is one of the greatest environmental risk to health. By
reducing air pollution levels, countries can reduce the burden of disease from
stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory
diseases, including asthma.
The combined effects of ambient air pollution and household air pollution are
associated with 6.7 million premature deaths annually.
Ambient (outdoor) air pollution is estimated to have caused 4.2 million
premature deaths worldwide in 2019.
Some 89% of those premature deaths occurred in low- and middle-income
countries, and the greatest number in the WHO South-East Asia and Western
Pacific Regions.
Policies and investments supporting cleaner transport, energy efficient
homes, power generation, industry and better municipal waste management
would reduce key sources of outdoor air pollution. Access to clean
household energy would also greatly reduce ambient air pollution in some

8. Water
The nation's water resources have immeasurable value. These resources
encompass lakes, streams, ground water, coastal waters, wetlands, and other
waters; their associated ecosystems; and the human uses they support (e.g.,
drinking water, recreation, and fish consumption). The extent of water
resources (their amount and distribution) and their condition (physical,
chemical, and biological attributes) are critical to ecosystems, human uses,
and the overall function and sustainability of the hydrologic cycle.
Because the extent and condition of water can affect human health,
ecosystems, and critical environmental processes, protecting water resources
is integral to EPA's mission. EPA works in partnership with other government
agencies that are also interested in the extent and condition of water
resources, both at the federal level and at the state, local, or tribal level.

9. Water quality
Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological
characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is
most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against
which compliance, generally achieved through treatment of the
water, can be assessed. The most common standards used to
monitor and assess water quality convey the health of
ecosystems, safety of human contact, extent of water pollution
and condition of drinking water. Water quality has a significant
impact on water supply and oftentimes determines supply
options.

10. Water pollution
In 2021, over 2 billion people
live in water-stressed
countries, which is expected
to be exacerbated in some
regions as result of climate
change and population
growth.
In 2022, globally, at least 1.7
billion people use a drinking
water source contaminated
with faeces. Microbial
contamination of drinking-
water as a result of
contamination with faeces
poses the greatest risk to
drinking-water safety.
Safe and sufficient water
facilitates the practice of
hygiene, which is a key
measure to prevent not only
diarrhoeal diseases, but
acute respiratory infections
and numerous neglected
tropical diseases.
Microbiologically
contaminated drinking water
can transmit diseases such
as diarrhoea, cholera,
dysentery, typhoid and polio
and is estimated to cause
approximately
505 000 diarrhoeal deaths
each year.
In 2022, 73% of the
global population (6
billion people) used a
safely managed drinking-
water service – that is,
one located on premises,
available when needed,