Air Pollution



Table of Contents

Introduction3

Discussion & Analysis4

Air Pollution4

Types of Air Pollution4

The Potential Health Effects Using Risk Assessment5

Regulations Regarding the Health Issue6

Industry Response to Issue and Comparison with Response in Movie7

Community's Response to Issue and Comparison with Response in Movie7

My Learning about Air Pollution & Its Impact on my Future Nursing Practice8

Conclusion9

References10

Air Pollution

Introduction

Since the industrial revolution, air pollution has been plagued communities. Airborne pollutants, like chemicals, gases, smoke particles, and other substances, cause considerable health and environmental issues. The presence of air pollutant in the air lessens air quality, posing a threat to the health and welfare of people and biodiversity. Though there are various natural sources of air pollution that include volcanic eruptions and forest fires; however, the term is generally applicable to matter discharged into the atmosphere in consequence of human activities that can be accidental (for instance, the discharge of material from the damaged nuclear power station of Chernobyl, and the Bhopal explosion) or it can be either deliberate (like the incessant gases release from factory chimneys). (Brimblecombe, Peter, 2003)

According to NIEHS, over the past 30 years, the reported health effects of air pollution in research studies that include respiratory diseases, like cardiovascular diseases, asthma, changes in lung function, and death. There is rising substantiation that exposure to air pollution has long-term impacts on lung development in children. This paper is intended to discuss air pollution and its adverse effects on the community, potential health effects of air pollution using risk assessment, regulations regarding the air pollution, and related community's response to the health concerns based on those laws. Industry and community response to the issue will also be analyzed and it is also aimed to discuss how understanding of this issue will help me in my nursing practice.

Discussion & Analysis

Air Pollution

According to the World Health Organization, almost five million people, in a year, die from causes directly because of air pollution (for instance: exacerbations of asthma, bronchitis, heart disease, emphysema and lung disease etc.) Air pollution is a generalized term that addresses an extensive range of contaminants in the atmosphere. The presence of chemicals in atmosphere of earth that are not a standard part of the atmosphere is termed as air pollution. It is a serious health issue. Air pollution is a key environmental health problem, whether indoors or outdoors, affecting everyone in developed and developing countries. Both the natural causes and human activities can become a cause of environmental pollution.

Types of Air Pollution

There are two broad categories of air contamination: primary and secondary. Pollutants that are directly released in to the air termed as Primary Pollutants. Smoke, dust, and various toxic chemicals, like lead, vinyl chloride, mercury, and carbon monoxide are among some of the examples of primary pollutants. Other examples include exhaust from vehicles and industrial smokestacks. In secondary pollution, after being released into the atmosphere, pollutants are formed or modified into some other form. One of a prime example of secondary air pollution is smog that amasses over many ...