| You could go days without food and hours without | | | | damages our environment. Toxic air pollutants and |
| water, but you would last only a few minutes | | | | the chemicals that form acid rain and ground-level |
| without air (if that). As human beings, on average, | | | | o-zone can damage trees, crops, other plants, wildlife, |
| we breathe over 3,000 gallons of air each day. In | | | | lakes, and other bodies of water. Furthermore, those |
| addition to consuming up so much air in 24 hours, | | | | pollutants can also harm fish and other aquatic life. In |
| over the course of 365 days humans manage to | | | | addition to damaging the natural environment, air |
| inhale precisely 1,095,000 gallons of air throughout the | | | | pollution also damages buildings, monuments, and |
| year. That's a large amount of air that humans not | | | | statues. It not only reduces how far you can see in |
| only need but demand as a means to survive in | | | | national parks and cities, it even interferes with |
| everyday life, if you ask me. Better yet, wouldn't it | | | | aviation. |
| be to our benefit as humans if we lived in a | | | | Although national air quality has improved over the |
| non-polluted environment/economy? The only | | | | last 20 years, many challenges remain in protecting |
| possible logical answer to that question would have | | | | public health and the environment. The United States |
| to be a sound and potent "Yes!" But, the "oh so" | | | | Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protects |
| popular question still remains the same, why should | | | | human health and the environment through the |
| you be concerned about air pollution? When it's all | | | | regulatory process and voluntary programs such as |
| said and done, it's only common sense to figure out | | | | Energy Star and Commuter choice. (The Clean Air |
| that you must have air to live. | | | | Act is a federal law covering the entire country). |
| Air pollution comes from many different sources such | | | | Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA sets limits on how |
| as: factories, power plants, dry cleaners, cars, buses, | | | | much of a pollutant is allowed in the air anywhere in |
| trucks and even windblown dust and wildfires. Today, | | | | the United States. This helps to ensure basic health |
| motor vehicles are responsible for nearly one-half of | | | | and environmental protection from air pollution for all |
| smog-forming volatile organic compounds (VOC's). | | | | American's. Also, the Clean Air Act gives EPA the |
| Also, motorized vehicles are held responsible for | | | | authority to limit emissions of air pollutants coming |
| more than half of the nitrogen oxide (NOx) | | | | from sources like steel mills, utilities, and chemical |
| emissions, and approximately half of the toxic air | | | | plants. Individual states or tribes may have stronger |
| pollutant emissions in the United States. Motor | | | | air pollution laws, but they may not have weaker |
| vehicles, as well as non road vehicles, are now | | | | pollution limits than those set by the EPA. EPA's main |
| accountable for 75 percent of carbon monoxide | | | | goal is to have clean air to breath for this generation |
| emissions nationwide. Between the years of 1970 and | | | | and those to follow. Over time, the Clean Air Act will |
| 2005 the total vehicle miles people travel in the | | | | continue to reduce air pollution, but it will take time |
| United States has increased 178 percent and | | | | for some of the Act's provisions to have their full |
| continues to gradually increase at a rate of two to | | | | time impact. |
| three percent each year. As a result of United States | | | | There are many ways we as the people of the |
| evolution from driving simple cars in the 70's too | | | | United States can help to reduce earth's adversary |
| modern vans, sports utility vehicles (SUV's), and | | | | of air pollution. At home we can conserve energy by |
| pickup trucks, these enlarged vehicles typically | | | | turning off lights and appliances when you leave the |
| consume more gasoline per mile and many of them | | | | room. Buy Energy Star products, including energy |
| pollute three to five times more than cars. | | | | efficient lighting and appliances. Keep woodstoves |
| Breathing polluted air can make your eyes and nose | | | | and fireplaces well maintained at all times. Recycling |
| burn. Due to inhaling polluted air, it can irritate your | | | | paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard, and aluminum |
| throat and make breathing difficult. In fact, pollutants | | | | cans are also productive ways we can reduce air |
| like tiny airborne particles can trigger respiratory | | | | pollution. By doing this we will conserve energy and |
| problems, especially for people with asthma. In | | | | reduce production emissions. When purchasing a car, |
| today's society, just about 30 million adults and | | | | truck, or van choose efficient, low polluting models of |
| children in the United States have been diagnosed | | | | vehicles. Choose products that have less packaging |
| with asthma. Asthma sufferers can be severely | | | | and are reusable. Buy rechargeable batteries for |
| affected by air pollution. In contrast air pollution can | | | | devices used frequently. When it comes to driving |
| also aggravate health problems for the elderly and | | | | your vehicles keep tires properly aligned and inflated. |
| others with heart or respiratory diseases. In a | | | | In the summertime, fill gas tanks during cooler |
| greater look at things, some toxic chemicals released | | | | evening hours to cut down evaporation. Avoid spilling |
| in the air such as benzene or vinyl chloride can cause | | | | gas. When possible, use public transportation, walk, or |
| cancer, birth defects, long term injury to the lungs, | | | | ride a bike. Get regular engine tune ups and car |
| as well as brain and nerve damage. And in some | | | | maintenance checks (especially for the spark plugs). |
| cases, breathing these highly toxic chemicals can | | | | Use energy-conserving grade motor oil. Report |
| even cause the fatal attraction of death. The health, | | | | smoking vehicles to your local air agency. Last but |
| environmental, and economic impacts of air pollution | | | | not least, join a carpool or vanpool to get to work. |
| are significant. Each day, air pollution causes | | | | All of these suggestions can and will help to reduce |
| thousands of illnesses leading to lost days at work | | | | air pollution. By doing so, we have to come together |
| and school. Air pollution also reduces agricultural crop | | | | and set out to put an abrupt decrease to limiting the |
| and commercial forest yields by billions of dollars each | | | | amount of air pollution caused by (for a significant |
| year. | | | | part) we the people of United States of America. |
| Air pollution isn't just a threat to our health, it also | | | | |