Steps of the Reduction of Air Pollution - Essay Example

The air that people inhale is neither clean nor is it healthy. The air that people breathe contains harmful gases like ground-level ozone gas, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, air particles, and lead. Of the five gases, ground-level ozone and airborne articles have been identified as the greatest risk to human health in the world's major cities. (epea.gov, 2011) 

There is a great difference in air quality in the world and this is manifested in different statistical information in the major cities of the world. The major cities of the globe are impacted by air pollution, which affects air quality. airnow.gov (2011) provides a summary of Air Quality in most cities of the world daily. In the city of Illinois, for example, the Air Quality on the dates of 22nd, and 23rd November 2011 was rated as moderate while in Colorado, over the same period, the Air Quality was rated as good (airnow.gov, 2011).

This research paper explores that different places in the world have different air quality, depending on the magnitude of air pollution. The air that people inhale is neither clean nor is it healthy. The air that people breathe contains harmful gases like ground-level ozone gas, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, air particles, and lead. Of the five gases, ground-level ozone and airborne articles have been identified as the greatest risk to human health in the world's major cities.

There is a great difference in air quality in the world and this is manifested in different statistical information in the major cities of the world. The major cities of the globe are impacted by air pollution, which affects air quality. The Air Quality in the world is assessed through Air Quality Index (AQI). AQI is used for reporting air quality daily. AQI provides information about how clean or polluted the air is in the places where a person resides and what health hazards a person should be concerned about.

Environmental Protection Agency usually calculates the AQI of five major air pollutants, which are controlled by the Clean Air Act. These pollutants include ground-level ozone gas, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and air particles. Of the five gases, ground-level ozone and airborne articles have been identified as the greatest risk to human health in the world's major cities. Most of the sources of air pollution arising from technological and industrial advancements made by humans. 

             Ozone is a gas that naturally occurs in the atmosphere. Much of it is concentrated in the ozone layer, which is found in the stratosphere part of the atmosphere. Ozone gas exists in small quantities in the atmosphere and protects humans and other life forms on earth from Ultraviolet lights from the sun, which are harmful.          Human activities for decades have produced a chemical substance, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). CFC is composed of chlorine, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and bromide gases. This chemical substance when released into the atmosphere significantly contributes to the depletion of the Ozone layer, exposing living organisms to the dangers of Ultraviolet light. The depletion of the Ozone layer has already taken place in Earth’s Ozone layer in the Artic and Antarctica regions of the earth. (noaa.gov, 2011)

            epa.gov (2011) notes that Ozone gases existing in the lower level of the atmosphere; are harmful to human beings and cause damage to crops, trees, and vegetation. They also cause smog in urban areas. Harmful Ozone gases are found on the lower surface of the earth, resulting from the chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds in the presence of sunlight. The lower level of ozone is different from the Ozone layer found in the stratosphere that filters out harmful Ultraviolet light, which causes skin houses.

            The presence of harmful ozone gases poses the question “Are people free from the dangers of harmful gases?” The answer is “No”. This is because; breathing harmful ozone gases causes health problems such as chest pain, throat irritation, coughing, and congestion. Inhalation of Harmful Ozone gas also worsens asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis conditions. It reduces lung functioning and causes inflammation of the lining of the lungs. Also, repeated exposure to harmful ozone gases can cause permanent scars in lung tissues. Pollution, caused by harmful Ozone gases, has destabilized the earth’s atmosphere, leading to changes in climate and the eventual causing of global warming. (epea.gov, 2011