Air Pollution vs Public Health
Air Pollution
Air pollution is a mix of substances that comes from both human-made and natural sources2.Which is responsible for more than 6.5 million deaths each year globally2. This is a challenge because it poses a major threat to the climate crisis and public health. There are many sources of air pollution and these include household combustion devices, motor vehicles, power generations, waste incineration, and industrial facilities3. One example of an industrial facility would include petrochemical companies, such as those being built in St. James Parish. Petrochemical companies are harmful because they release air pollution in the air. These companies release toxins and particulate matter into the air, decreasing the quality of air and causing health issues. In addition, air pollution contributes to the climate climate crisis as well. This is due to harmful chemicals and pollutants being released in the air from fossil fuel and greenhouse gases. Both in which have a harmful impacts on the environment, air quality and public health.
Air pollution and Public health
How does air pollution effect public health? Air pollution poses a threat to public health because it releases harmful particles in the air such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide3. Exposure to these substances leads to public health concerns such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and respiratory diseases2. This is due to air pollution reducing air quality which can directly harm our respiratory and cardiovascular systems as we breath. Short-term exposure to air pollution is related to COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, asthma, and respiratory disease1. As for long-term effects they include chronic asthma, cardiovascular diseases, cardiovascular mortality, and cancer1. Populations at high risk include children, older adults, pregnant women, and individuals with chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and immunocompromised individuals2.
In St. James Parish, there are large amounts of industrial toxic air pollutions from petrochemical companies being released annually. Due to high levels of exposure from air pollutions and emissions, this is posing a burden of health concerns in Louisiana. It is also affecting the landscape and land in Louisiana. It’s affecting the landscape by damaging plantations and making it difficult to breathe. However, even though this is an ongoing issue, these concerns have been dismissed by state regulators and politicians who believe air pollution has no correlation to health outcomes. Since, these concerns are overlooked by the government it comes to show that there is environmental discrimination, because they don’t focus on the well-being of St. James Parish.
Air pollution and climate change are also linked together. Both issues come from the same source such as burning fossil fuels that come from petrochemical companies2. Emissions from pollutants can also be released into the air resulting in climate change. Then, exposure from these pollutants can cause or worsens health issues such as respiratory and heart diseases. This is due to poor air quality and toxic chemicals and particles being released in the air. Overall, this comes to show that air pollution, the climate crisis and public health are greatly linked together.
What can be done?
There are many interventions and strategies to reduce exposure to air pollution. However, sometimes following and implementing these strategies/control measures can be challenging to fulfill. A few obstacles can include limited resources, limited funding to start helpful programs, lack of government support, and environmental/health disparities. For instance, in St. James Parish getting assistance from the government to prevent further construction of petrochemical companies was difficult to achieve. It was not possible because to gain government support because they prioritized the companies rather than the well-being of the community.
However, a few things we can do to address air pollution is to spread global awareness and provide education on ongoing health concerns. This can be done by bringing communities together to fight for the well-being of others. When communities come together, this helps to spreading awareness, which can influence individuals to make changes and participate in organization and movements. Spreading global awareness is also important because it helps to understand the health concerns that can arise for air pollution and learn when and how to take action. Some things we do to protect our selves from air pollution is wearing masks, checking the air quality in areas we live, keeping windows and doors closed and limiting exposure to harmful gases and toxins in the air.
References:
1.) Manisalidis, I., Stavropoulou, E., Stavropoulos, A., & Bezirtzoglou, E. (2020). Environmental and Health Impacts of Air Pollution: A Review. Frontiers in public health, 8, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00014
2.) Air pollution and Your Health. (n.d.) National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/air-pollution
3.) Air Pollution (n.d.) World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution