Aspen Rodriguez

Eng 2010
Research Essay
10/22/2016

Air Pollution and the Effects on Our Health

In most states when you look out the windy and see a foggy sky its
because of the weather, but in Utah the inversion is the culprit. The inversion
we see is caused by air pollution from factories and cars and is trapped in
the valley because of our mountains. Salt Lake City, Utah ranks number six
on highest amount of short term particle pollution, and Logan, Utah sits at an
impressive number seven (American Lung Association). According to The
American Lung Association in their study State of the Air, poor air quality is a
leading cause for respiratory disease diagnoses and inflammation of previous
and congenital conditions.
California is consistently on the top of the charts for the worst air
quality in the country, and coincidentally enough they are constantly a
contender for most hospitalizations due to respiratory emergencies. Air
pollution aggravates previous conditions and congenital conditions such as
severe asthma, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
otherwise known as COPD (Spare The Air). These conditions can flare up at
any given moment without warning and can lead to hospitalization and in
some cases death. The temperature in California doesnt help the situation

either. According to Roger D Peng, during a 2006 heat wave the amount of
respiratory hospitalizations were close to double their already high amounts.
Enough of California, lets talk about Utah. Salt Lake City is directly in
the middle of large sets of mountains that trap the air particles in and dont
leave until a heavy storm knocks them out. Its a deadly cycle that lasts most
of the winter. The inversion is so bad, because of the change in temperature
as the altitude of the mountains change as well as the change in seasons
that we experience. In a study by Anderson and Peng from ATS Journal, they
concluded,
Counties relative risks were significantly higher in
counties with cooler average summer temperatures.
We found strong evidence of an association between
outdoor heat and respiratory hospitalizations in the
largest population of elderly studied to date. Given
projections of increasing temperatures from climate
change and the increasing global prevalence of
chronic pulmonary disease, the relationship between
heat and respiratory morbidity is a growing concern.
So now global warming mixed with our increasing air particles are creating a
death trap for all living things on this planet.
So what exactly are we emitting into our air? In a study from the US
Environmental Protection Agency, they showed that the amount of all

pollutants have gone down since 1980, some more than others, but on the
other hand one new pollutant has been introduced. Car companies can be at
fault for this, because new hybrid cars emit different toxins than regular gas
only vehicles.

Charts provided by the US Environmental Protection Agency

As shown above the about of lead in our air has only slightly decreased
making it still the top element emitted. PM2.5 is a different ion form than
PM10 which is emitted from hybrid cars and the different types of engines
that these cars inhabit. Sulfur Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide are the next
highest at still very high capacities. Carbon Monoxide is known as the silent
killer because it has no smell, but is extremely toxic. So why we let this
deadly gas consume so much of our oxygen count is beyond me. Lead, being
the leader in emissions, has been taken out of paint, pencils, and is a rarely
used metal because it is known for giving people lead poisoning which leads
to severe brain damage and usually ends up taking the persons life is
exposure is continued. Lead is an extremely dangerous element and our
factories are dumping it into our air particles by the thousands every minute.

Sulfur dioxide has been shown, in a test done by the EPA, that it can cause
neurological and respiratory cancers as well as bronchitis.
Bronchitis is a lung disease that if not treated properly can cause major
complications. It can turn into pneumonia and even leave you with
permanent lung damage. This is especially concerning in the elderly because
they have weaker immune systems, and older people are more susceptible
to death by pneumonia. The elderly are very well known for overcoming a
serious sickness then getting pneumonia and losing the battle. We all know
how serious and scary cancer is. Neurological and respiratory cancers are
especially serious because these are two major body functions that can
easily spread throughout the whole body. Asthma isnt as serious of a
disease, but it is very common. Asthma effects a major body function and
once you stop breathing you only have a few minutes before other functions
start to shut down. Asthma is something that, for those who have it, is dealt
with every day, with every breath, and can go downhill very quickly. These
are all life-threatening diseases that we are making ourselves more
susceptible to everyday just by what we are emitting into our air.
In conclusion, our air quality, though its getting better, still has a very
long way to go until its safe for us to breathe. We are emitting very
poisonous toxins into our every second and we are all going to have to pay
the price for it. The poor air quality is causing and aggravating many
respiratory illnesses. Some factors that make the conditions worse are our

mountains and the change in elevation, colder temperatures, and of course

driving more. These diseases are all life-threatening and can be decreased
dramatically by simply polluting less.

Bibliography
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2015. Web. 21
October 2016.
Brunekreef, Professor Bert. Air Pollution and Health. The Lancet. 19 October
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G. Brooke Anderson, Francesca Dominici, Yun Wang, Meredith C.
McCormack, Michelle L. Bell, and Roger D. Peng "Heat-related Emergency
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the Medicare
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