The Los Angeles Basin is a plain that lies between the Pacific Ocean and mountains to the north and east. During the summer, the sunny climate produces a layer of warm, dry air at upper elevations. Southern California counties are where almost 15 million people reside. South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) is a governmental organization established in 1977 to deal with the historically poor air quality in the area surrounding Los Angeles. Air pollution injures organisms, reduces visibility, and attacks and corrodes materials such as metals, plastics, rubber, and fabrics. The respiratory tracts of animals, including humans, are particularly harmed by air pollutants, which worsen existing medical conditions such as chronic lung disease, pneumonia, and cardiovascular problems. Discussed in our paper will be several key points that will highlight very important details in regards to the efforts to reduce ozone in Southern California. Topics to be discussed are; described the historical development of the issue, the stakeholder’s involvement in the issue, and the long term effects of the problem, the responsibilities that arise from the ethical position and try to find a solution to this major problem.…
Reactive carbon-containing substances that readily evaporates into air, such as components of gasoline and organic solvents…
Loss of the Ozone layer • 1980s: found that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) depleting ozone layer o CFCs: “dream chemicals” used as coolant in air conditioners & fridges; propellant for aerosol spray cans; cleaners • Depletion of ozone layer damaging to wildlife and humans as more UV radiation reaches earth – more eye cataracts, sunburns, skin cancer • International treaty to ban CFCs – Montreal Protocol (1987) • Air pollution: presence of chemicals in the atmosphere in concentrations high enough to harm organisms, ecosystems and human-‐made materials o Natural sources: dust, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, plants o Human sources: burning of fossil fuels for power and industrial purposes (stationary) and cars (mobile sources) o Primary pollutants: emitted directly into troposphere from source (CO, HCs, SO2, NO2) o Secondary pollutants: reaction with primary pollutants (or component of air) to create a new pollutant (SO3, NO3, H2SO4, O3) Six Critical Air Pollutants • Carbon oxides • Nitrogen oxides and nitric acid • Sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid • Particulate matter • Ozone • Volatile organic compounds 1) Carbon Oxides • Carbon monoxide (CO) • Colorless and odorless • Sources: combustion of carbon containing fuels – 50% from vehicle exhaust • Impacts: “driver fatigue”, heart disease, respiratory ailments • Levels fluctuate daily in urban areas – why?…
Air pollution is the introduction into the atmosphere of chemicals, particulates, and biological matter that cause harm to humans, other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment. Stratospheric ozone depletion (contributed to air pollution) has long been recognized as a threat to human health as well as to the Earth’s ecosystems. The Earth is capable of cleaning itself of a certain level of pollution, but man-made pollutant have become too numerous for the Earth’s natural mechanisms to remove. We are seeing the results of this overload in the form of acid rain, smog, and the variety of health problems that can be contributed to our environment. (Godish)…
Anthropogenic pollutants are pollutants that are made from humans or result from human created products. Many of these pollutants are found in Las Angeles and are contributing to the current smog problem. The city is working diligently to improve the smog pollution problems within Las Angeles. Despite efforts to improve the smog, it still exists. A major cause of the smog issues comes from the vehicles people drive. Motor vehicle emissions from cars and trucks in the area are contributing to the smog problems within the city. The smog caused by the emissions of motor vehicles is causing many health problems to the people who reside or work in the Las Angeles area. Health issues include breathing problems, asthma, and respiratory diseases.…
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2000-2013, California was ranked as the second largest producer of CO2 emissions in the United States, behind Texas. Air pollution is an extremely difficult form of pollution to bring into the public eye for two reasons. One, because it is the introduction of microscopic molecules into the atmosphere, it is invisible and often goes unnoticed. Secondly, the effects of these pollutes can take decades of exposure to accumulate and see the true extent of its effects. Over long-term exposure, Carbon emissions speed up the greenhouse effect by trapping more heat in the atmosphere, increasing the risk for prolonged droughts. This process is largely linked to global warming, and is beginning to have devastating effects on California’s already dry and warm climate. CO2 emissions derive from human activities like the burning of gas, coal, oil, and fossil fuels, as well as through intensified land use for agricultural purposes (Castro, Huber…
For example, roughly 132 million people live in 293 counties that the EPA officially recognizes as failing to meet its 1997 national standards for ozone.25 Many communities face higher exposure to outdoor air pollution because of their proximity to pollution sources, such as coal-fired power plants and high-traffic areas for diesel-fueled vehicles such as trucks and buses.24 Heavily trafficked freeway routes may place asthma sufferers and children at greater risk. One study found that children who lived closer to freeways were 89 percent more likely to have a history of asthma than children who lived further away.24 Among the biggest industrial polluters, especially in the eastern half of the United States, are old, coal-fired power plants. A study revealed that over 550,000 asthma attacks, 38,000 heart attacks and 12,000 hospital admissions are caused annually by power plant…
Statistically proven that “in Southern California, episodic outdoor levels of ozone (O3), particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter (PM10), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) historically have been among the highest in the United States, and they continue to exceed federal and state clean air guidelines.” (Künzli et al., 2003, p.1)…
Immigrants who come from out of borders to Los Angeles have a certain life standards. Since those life standards are not high, air pollution is not a concern for immigrants. It is a fact that most of the immigrant families have automobiles. Gases coming out of…
In the 1940's California was supporting a population of seven million people and contained 2.8 million registered vehicles. Within the next twenty years the population more than doubled to reach 16 million while the number of registered vehicles all but tripled increasing to eight million. This has been a common trend in California's documented history from the early twentieth century to today. There have been many historical and environmental factors that have assisted in contributing to increases such as these in California. One such factor was World War II, from the late 1930's to 1945, which triggered a boom in the population of California and the beginning of the urban sprawl. Increases in population such as this resulted in a massive increase in pollution but more specifically air pollution. To counteract the drastic increase of air pollution in California, then Governor Earl Warren signed the Air Pollution Control Act authorizing each county in the state to create its own air pollution control (California Air Resources Board). Since the inception of this "clean air" act many private and governmental organizations were created setting rules, regulations, and standards against pollution and writing them into law. While the average individual is able to make decisions which ultimately affect the quality of our air by making it less polluted organizations hold a far greater power in controlling the quality California's air. Combining the organizational factors with the efforts of the individual has drastically decreased the rate at which we pollute our environment and increased the quality of the air here in California.…
The central theme of this document is how the federal government can use taxpayers money to control the climate. Climate control is an issue in the united states right now. More than 5 cities in California suffer from air pollution that can affect it’s citizens. This was and still is a huge issue that can change hopefully.Yeah some Americans hate taxes but everyone hates pollution.…
Asthma and Air Pollution. (2013, February 5). Retrieved February 24, 2013, from California Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/asthma/asthma.htm.…
Air pollution is a combination of gases and chemicals in the air that we breathe. A majority of air pollution is caused by humans through emissions from cars, planes, ships, trucks, power plants, and factories; although some of it may be created by nature in the form of wildfire smoke and volcanic eruptions (education.nationalgeographic.com, 2015). By breathing toxic air, air pollutants are given the chance to travel far into the lungs, resulting in severe damages to the respiratory system. Air pollution is a critical environmental issue that can have fatal health impacts on people of all ages, especially children, in both developed and developing countries. Exposure to air pollutants like ground-level ozone, particulate matter, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can have damaging effects on fetal and early childhood development such…
The people of New York have the right to enjoy an environment that is conducive to the full development of individuals as human beings. This is an environment that is not only free from obvious threats of physical harm such as crimes but also from concealed threats that have long term effects on human health and functioning such as air pollution. Unfortunately, despite the efforts of the New York City government to improve ambient air quality in New York through pollutant level monitoring, air pollution clearly remains a major threat to the people’s health. (NYSDEC, 2008) Industrial and vehicle emissions continue to be the main source of air pollution in the city, which in turn exposes the people to greater risks of contracting diseases from air-borne pollutants and carcinogens. (Routledge, et. al. 1383) Thus, there is a need not only for strengthening existing air pollution-control methods and legislation but in making them more effective by encouraging public participation to solve the problem.…
Did you know that nearly 5.5 million people, over 1 million seabirds, and 100,000 sea mammals die each year due to pollution? California itself has 21,000 annual deaths caused by air pollution. Pollution makes up 40% of all the deaths caused worldwide. This is why I believe that we should keep our environment clean. Reducing pollution can lower death rates and reduce our risks of global warming.…