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Gerardo Gutierrez

11/25/16

Mr. Gango - 3

Air Pollution

Poor air quality is very dangerous and has been linked to lung and heart problems,

respiratory infections, stroke, and even cancer. Air pollution is made up of solid particles and

gases in the air. People must help prevent air pollution for our next generation. Air pollution can

cause the creation of toxic chemicals, acid rain, and adds to global warming.

There are some people who believe that air pollution is not a huge concern. The World

Health Organization estimates that 4.6 million people die each year from causes directly attributable to air

pollution(Air Pollution). People die from lung cancer due to poor air quality caused by

pollution. It's gotten so bad that the government has shut down highways to mitigate emissions.

This leaves travelers stranded as they wait for the roads to reopen. (Vapor Intrusion) This

leaves the travelers stranded on the road, and will make them need wait until they reopen them.

The reason for the all the smog is mostly because of the factories. But the air isn't always like

this: Earlier this year, China cleaned up its air for a military parade by forcing factories to close

down temporarily (Vapor Intrusion). About 7 million premature deaths annually are linked

to air pollution, according to WHO. That is one in eight deaths worldwide (Harmon).The

United States had over twenty-five million people with asthma and studies show that the

environmental laws are helping reduce health problems.

Studies show that if someone lives in a place where there is a lot of air pollution then they

have a twenty percent higher risk of death from lung cancer than regular people who live in a
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less polluted area. Carbon Monoxide is mostly caused by vehicles which is extremely dangerous

as it can lead to death. Global warming is caused by a blanket of pollution that traps heat around

the earth. This pollution comes from cars, factories, homes, and power plants that burn fossil

fuels such as oil, coal, natural gas, and gasoline.(Global Warming & Air Pollution) It creates

hazardous gasses in the atmosphere which is bad for the planet.

Acid rain is created by volcanoes but what also creates it is human activities such as

burning coal-burning power plants, cars, and factories. The most important gas which leads to

acidification is sulfur dioxide. Emissions of nitrogen oxides which are oxidized to form nitric

acid are of increasing importance due to stricter controls on emissions of sulfur containing

compounds. (Acid Rain) When car batteries no longer work it creates a harmful acid and can

burn human skin and many people pollute car batteries and it is very dangerous, it gets polluted

into the air and creates acid rain too. Acid rain also damages forests, especially those at higher

elevations. It robs the soil of essential nutrients and releases aluminum in the soil, which makes it

hard for trees to take up water. Trees' leaves and needles are also harmed by acids. (Acid

Rain)

Global warming is raising childhood asthma in the nation, rising seas and severe storms,

warming, and creates acidic oceans, acidic oceans is getting raised because of air pollution and is

killing many sea creatures. The excessive heat from global warming causes damage to plants and

creates diseases, such as skin cancer to humans and many other creatures. Most of the ice in

Antarctica is melting and is causing the sea level to rise higher and higher. The average sea

level around the world by the end of this century (the year 2099) could be anywhere from 7 to 23

inches higher than it was in 1990. Sea level could rise even more if the big ice sheets in

Greenland and Antarctica melt faster.(What will happen in the future?) Studies show that the
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arctic region may be ice free by two thousand forty. This will affect all sea creatures in Antarctica

and cause extinction to them.

Air pollution contains over two-hundred chemicals that make humans skin look even

older, which is even worse in more polluted cities. Studies say that forty percent of the world

trash is burned, releasing carbon dioxide, mercury, and other toxins into the air. A few tips to

save gas is to use one car when going somewhere with some friends while using the freeway go

on to the carpool lane to save gas and time. Always remember to keep the tires inflated properly

to save some gas.

Stopping air pollution is important because in order to keep all of our creatures on earth

and humans alive, air pollution has to be stopped. The controversies around air pollution show no

signs of coming to an end. If everyone helps stop air pollution then the earth will be a safer place

for everyone including our future generations. The future of air quality is beginning to look much

better than before, decades ago that statement was not true, but now it is because of the changes

we have done such as driving electric cars, recycling, and using energy efficient appliances.

Works Cited

Acid Rain Acid Rain, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_rain. Accessed 4, April 2017

Air Pollution Science Daily, https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/air_pollution.htm. Accessed

4, April 2017
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Global Warming & Air Pollution Global Warming & Air Pollution,

http://www.nrcm.org/projects/climate/global-warming-air-pollution/. Accessed 4, April

2017

Harmon, Katherine Other pollution facts Pollution Facts & Types of Pollution,

http://www.livescience.com/22728-pollution-facts.html. Accessed 4, April 2017.

Vapor Intrusion 11 photos that show just how bad China's recent high pollution days

have been, http://www.businessinsider.com/china-air-pollution-levels-in-2015. Accessed

4, April 2017

What will happen in the future? Rising Sea Level,

https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/impacts/signs/sea-level.html. Accessed 4, April

2017