Air pollution refers to the tendency of humans and animals to engage in activities which release harmful particles into the environment. Such particles may be dangerous and deadly to the lives of humans, animals, and other living organisms. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), since its establishment in 1971, has made substantial efforts in reducing pollution in the country. Pollutants, the deadly and dangerous particles released to the environment exist in several forms, and EPA has placed certain national air quality standards for each of them. At least a sixth of common pollutants today appear in levels exceeding the national air quality standards (Marlier et al., 2016). Moreover, there is a substantial amount of yearly deaths caused by air pollution. Ground-level ozone pollution and particle pollution are common pollutants whose levels have greatly declined in the recent past compared to what they were before. On the one hand, fine particles form from direct emission of gases such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. Ozone, on the other hand, is a colorless gas that is created by the reaction of volatile organic compounds to the emitted nitrogen oxides. These two sets of pollutants come from different sources and travel to very long distances, leading to cross-state pollution. Therefore, in as much as the state government may put up regulations on the company and individual activity causing pollution, cross-state pollution is quite impossible to control at state level and is a major cause of premature deaths in many States (Banerjee, 2020). Exposure to these pollutants and others are known to cause a variety of harmful effects leading to illnesses and health conditions among humans. Therefore, EPA has a responsibility to enforce its regulations and protect the country from pollution. According to Fajersztajn et al. (2017), short term and long term exposure by human beings to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) or particle pollutants cause heart diseases. Exposure to these pollutants specifically instills harmful effects on the human cardiovascular system, increasing the susceptibility of victims to strokes and heart attacks. Other scientific studies also indicate that these pollutants affect the respiratory system, increasing the risks of contracting respiratory diseases such as asthma. Ground-level ozone also affects the respiratory system, increasing the risks of people suffering from asthma attacks, lung illnesses, and shortness of breath. As a result, exposure to these two pollutants risks of premature deaths, and hospitalizations of patients suffering from these set of diseases. Vehicles and fuels are regarded as major causes of air pollution. According to the 2014 issued standards by EPA (Tier 3), vehicles and their respective fuels as a set of an integrated system, raising the standards of danger from vehicle emissions (Slovic & Ribeiro, 2018). However, there are makers of clean fuel that do not harm the environment. If fuel makers meet the 2014 EPA safety standards on vehicle fuel, EPA expects reduced ozone levels, reduced levels of nitrogen dioxide, fine particles, and many more common air pollutants. EPA works with state governments to control exceeding levels of nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. EPA specifically conducts research studies to provide humans and companies with ways to conserve air and adhere to the Clean Air Act regulations. Through such research, citizens, air quality managers, members of communities, and regulators get equipped with necessary information and tools to enable air management and to keep the air clean from pollutants. EPA conducts research on research areas, including the production of air and energy, climate change, air quality, environmental and health effects on air quality, and air monitoring, among others.
References
Banerjee, N. (2020, February 12). Cross-State Air Pollution Causes Significant Premature Deaths in the U.S. Retrieved from Inside Climate News: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/12022020/air-pollution-deaths-fossil-fuel-emissions
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Fajersztajn, L., Saldiva, P., Pereira, L. A. A., Leite, V. F., & Buehler, A. M. (2017). Short-term effects of fine particulate matter pollution on daily health events in Latin America: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International journal of public health , 62 (7), 729-738.
Marlier, M. E., Jina, A. S., Kinney, P. L., & DeFries, R. S. (2016). Extreme air pollution in global megacities. Current Climate Change Reports , 2 (1), 15-27.
Slovic, A. D., & Ribeiro, H. (2018). Policy instruments surrounding urban air quality: The cases of São Paulo, New York City and Paris. Environmental science & policy , 81 , 1-9.
