Air Pollution, Take Action

Module 5 Blog Post:

Part 1:

Hello all, thank you for reading follow this blog to stay informed about air pollution and how it affects our environment in severe ways. “9 out of 10 people in the world breath polluted air” (UN Environment Programme, n.d.).

Many of our current environmental issues seem hopeless. However, specific actions could help us continue fighting for healthy air quality, and it can be done one step at a time.

Some governmental institutions are encouraging their constituents to find ways to help our environment, and they are worth trying.

Texas is not a very walkable state, but there are certain times when walking can be an option instead of using our cars. If friends live a few blocks away, take a walk to visit them. Study routes around your house to see what activities you can walk to or use public transportation. Organize and reduce errands into one trip or look into carpool options. Give well-maintenance to your vehicle, or if looking for a new car, try to find more eco options if possible.

At home, turn the lights off when you leave the room, recycle paper, plastic, metals, and organic materials, try to eat locally, and support farmers' markets. There are sustainable sources made out of bamboo and hemp, use less plastic, plant trees, bring lunch to work, turn off office equipment, and many other conscious actions (California Air Resources Board, 2022). Believe it or not, individual actions make a difference.

Let’s take action! Institutions fighting against air pollution encourage the world population to call for action. Governments and organizations can unify to help prevent air pollution from damaging our environment. Some of these international organizations are the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, Climate and Clean Air Coalition, UNEP, and the UN General Assembly. These organizations are creating awareness and declared September 7th the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. In addition, there are hashtags used in social media to continue spreading awareness worldwide: # CleanAirForAll, #BeatAirPollution, and #WorldCleanAirDay, to mention a few (UN Environment Programme, n.d.).

As previously mentioned, the efforts done by an organization such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) progress are now in danger. This situation is happening because the United States Supreme Court has restricted the EPA's authority to regulate and mandate carbon emissions reductions on June 30, 2022 (Supreme Court of the United States, 2022).

We the People, have the power to make a difference and put pressure on institutions such as the Supreme Court. Individual conscious actions and being vocal can help keep our air clean.

Lastly, do not forget to support local organizations and campaigns such as GAF’s Gotta Go! in West Dallas to support our air quality and vulnerable populations. The community created this organization to fight decades of neglect and abuse (GAF’s Gotta Go, 2022). These communities deserve social justice too. 

Useful websites:

(Click each picture to have access to links)

Please make sure to watch my video below to conclude this topic by encouraging you to take action. Please help us save the planet! 

Part 2: 

Note: Please excuse the background noise. I live very close to Downtown Dallas and traffic is very loud.

Discussion Prompt: What actions are you currently taking or are planning to take to protect our air?

References

California Air Resources Board. (2022). Simple Solutions to Help Reduce Air Pollution. www.ca.gov. Retrieved August 4, 2022, from https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/fact-sheets/simple-solutions-help-reduce-air-pollution

GAF’s Gotta Go. (2022, May). GAF’s GOTTA GO: THE CASE FOR CITY AMORTIZATION. www.gafsgottago.com. Retrieved August 4, 2022, from https://gafsgottago.files.wordpress.com/2022/05/the-case-for-city-amortization-of-gaf_5-9-22.pdf

Supreme Court of the United States. (2022, June 30). WEST VIRGINIA ET AL. v. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ET AL. www.supremecourt.gov. Retrieved July 17, 2022, from https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-1530_n758.pdf

UN Environment Programme. (n.d.). Actions to #ClearTheAir. www.unep.org. Retrieved August 4, 2022, from https://www.unep.org/interactive/actions-to-clear-air/

Agencies Fighting Air Pollution at a National & Local Level

 Module 4 Blog Post:

Part 1:

At the National level, the United States Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has been fighting and regulating several industries. These industries are oil refineries, aerospace manufacturers, steel mills, chemical plants, and farming, among others, to reduce their environmental emissions. As previously mentioned, the Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1970 has helped to reduce the amount of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter in our air (the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2021). To ensure these regulations are followed, the EPA established the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in 10 regions throughout the country. The EPA Region 6 (South Central) Main Office serves Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and 66 Tribal Nations in Downtown Dallas (the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2022).

EPA Region 6 Main Office

1201 Elm Street, Suite 500

Dallas, TX 75270

The City of Dallas created the Office of Environmental Quality & Sustainability in 2004. One of its missions is to protect the air quality in the area. This office has partnered with institutions like Texas A&M University to install air quality monitors throughout the City of Dallas (City of Dallas, n.d.).

Dallas City Hall

1500 Marilla Street

Room 7A North

Dallas, TX 75201

The City of Dallas has committed to following environmental policies approved by the Dallas City Council on January 26, 2005, to continue educating its employees and citizens and implement programs and procedures to maintain an environment with clean air and water and sustainable development in the City of Dallas (City of Dallas, 2005).

References

City of Dallas. (n.d.). Office of Environmental Quality & Sustainability: Air Pollution Control. www.dallascityhall.com. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://dallascityhall.com/departments/OEQ/Pages/air-pollution-control.aspx

City of Dallas. (2005, January 26). Environmental Policy. www.dallascityhall.com. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://dallascityhall.com/departments/OEQ/DCH%20Documents/environmental-policy.pdf

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2022, March 7). Regional and Geographic Offices. www.epa.gov. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2021, September 28). Summary of the Clean Air Act. www.epa.gov. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-air-act

Part 2:

Were you aware of the agencies mentioned above and their mission to fight air pollution? If so, please explain what you knew about them. If not, is there another agency you are aware of that has a mission to keep our air clean?

Air Pollution in Dallas, TX and the Cost in the United State(Data)

 Module 3 Blog Post:

Part 1:

According to America’s Health Rankings Air Pollution report in the United States, the healthiest state is Wyoming, and the least healthy state is California. In 2011, air pollution created by fine particular matter produced by human activity was responsible for 107,000 premature deaths in the United States, and it had a negative effect on the economy, estimating a cost of $886 billion (America’s Health Rankings United Health Foundation, 2021). Fine particle air pollution and wildfires (more often nowadays) cause decreased lung function, asthma, irregular heartbeat, heart attacks, and early death for many suffering from heart and lung diseases.

Goodkind et al. show on the graph below the amount of money, premature mortality by pollution, and the levels of emissions measured in 2011. Air pollution has a very high cost on our health, lives, economy, and resources (Goodkind et al., 2019b).

                                                                                                                      (Goodkind et al., 2019)

Dallas, TX is ranked #16 for high ozone days “out of 226 metropolitan areas, #24 for “24-hour particle pollution out of 221 metropolitan areas”, and #48 for “annual particle pollution out of 202 metropolitan areas”. Unfortunately, our children, pregnant women, people of color, and people suffering from respiratory, cardiovascular, and lung diseases are more at risk of being affected by air pollution (American Lung Association. Texas: Dallas, 2022). In addition, in April 2022, the American Lung Association released and “State of the Air” report stating that the Dallas-Fort Worth area’s air quality is worse for some of the most damaging air polluters such as particle pollution and ozone (American Lung Association. State of the Air 2022, 2022). So even if Air pollution has been improving in the country, it seems challenging for Dallas, TX, to improve air quality.

References                                                                      

America’s Health Rankings United Health Foundation. (2021). Public Health Impact: Air     

            Pollution. www.americashealthrankings.org. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from

            https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/annual/measure/air/state/ALL

American Lung Association. Texas: Dallas. (2022). Texas: Dallas. www.lung.org. Retrieved July   

            24, 2022, from https://www.lung.org/research/sota/city-rankings/states/texas/dallas

American Lung Association. State of the Air 2022. (2022). Texas: Dallas. www.lung.org.            

            Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://www.lung.org/research/sota/city-        

            rankings/states/texas/dallas

Goodkind, A., Tessum, C., Coggins, J., & Marshall, J. (2019, April 8). Damages by Economic

             Sector [Graph]. Fine-Scale Damage Estimates of Particulate Matter Air Pollution Reveal

             Opportunities for Location-Specific Mitigation of Emissions.

             https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1816102116#supplementary-materials

Goodkind, A., Tessum, C., Coggins, J., & Marshall, J. (2019b, April 8). Fine-scale damage

             estimates of particulate matter air pollution reveal opportunities for location-specific

              mitigation of emissions. Https://Www.Pnas.Org/Doi/Full/10.1073/Pnas.1816102116.  

              Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1816102116

Part 2: 

In this video, Dr. Maria Neira from the World Health Organization explains the seriousness of air pollution and how it is also affecting the current COVID situation, and how we can take action. 

(World Health Organization (WHO) [YouTube], 2022)

What are your thoughts about the video presented about how air pollution makes matters worse for people suffering from COVID? 

Reference

World Health Organization (WHO) [YouTube]. (2022, February 11). WHO’s Science in 5 : Air

                 pollution, a public health emergency [Video]. YouTube.

                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zktuV75u4U&t=25s

How is Air Pollution Affecting Our Environmental Health in the U.S. and Dallas, Texas

Module 2 Blog Post:

What is Air pollution?

Clear air is essential to good health, but due to all the changes in the world, such as the increase in population, the air quality is not meeting the WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines that are established to qualify the quality of air around the world. These guidelines measure the ozone damage and the levels of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide (World Health Organization, n.d.-a). According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is a modification of the natural components of the air (indoor and outdoor) influenced by chemicals and physical or biological elements. For example, our air can be polluted by second-hand tobacco smoking to unregulated factories polluting the air in our communities (World Health Organization, 2021). In addition, air pollution is a cause of non-communicable diseases like asthma, chronic pulmonary and respiratory diseases, and strokes, just to mention a few (World Health Organization, n.d.-b).

Furthermore, as predicted, air pollution issues are primarily experienced in low- and middle-income communities that have the highest rates of chronic diseases in the country and the lowest support from the community.

The Prevalence of Air Pollution

The United States has been arduously working to lower air pollution and to maintain clean air in the country, as shown in the EPA tables below:

                                                    (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2022)

Unfortunately, the EPA's progress is now in danger since the Supreme Court of the United States has restricted the EPA's authority to regulate and mandate carbon emissions reductions on June 30, 2022 (Supreme Court of the United States, 2022).

Meanwhile, in Dallas, TX, according to the American Lung Association, "if you live in Dallas, County, the air you breath may put your health at risk" with an Ozone rating of "F," Particle Pollution 24-hour rate of "D" and it "Passes" the Particle Pollution Annual (American Lung Association. State of the Air 2022, 2022).

The American Lung Association estimates that 137 million Americans live in places with poor air quality qualifications. However, there are more groups susceptible to this environmental health issue, such as people of color, people with low-socioeconomic status, children and older adults, people experiencing asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), cancer (lung), cardiovascular disease, and pregnant women (American Lung Association. State of the Air 2022, 2022).

(American Lung Association. State of Air 2022, 2022)

Visit the link below for a better image quality 

https://www.lung.org/research/sota/city-rankings/states/texas/dallas 

Determinants of Air Pollution

Air pollutants come from many sources such as agriculture from, domestic livestock that produces Methane (CH4), industries that produce, store and transport oil and natural gas, waste from homes and businesses, all the combustion of fossil fuels used for transportation, the use of electricity to power our communities to mention a few (the United States Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.). All these factors worsen our quality of air if there is no appropriate control of them.

The Results of Air Pollution in Our Environment

All the health issues provoke by poor air quality are at hand with many other issues in our environment. For example, when our air is dense with contaminants, we are more likely to experience acid rain that contains “harmful amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids,” eutrophication that damages and kills our plant and animal diversity, haze creates fine particles that reduces our visibility of the environment, wildlife damage, the destruction of the ozone gas that protects us from the harmful ultraviolet rays, the damage of crops and forest, and of course, global climate change that is considered “fake news” to many (Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs, n.d.).

If so, how do you think is air pollution affecting your daily life?

References:

American Lung Association. State of Air 2022. (2022). Texas: Dallas- Groups at Risk [Illustration]. Groups At Risk. https://www.lung.org/research/sota/city-rankings/states/texas/dallas

American Lung Association. State of the Air 2022. (2022). Texas: Dallas. www.lung.org. Retrieved July 17, 2022, from https://www.lung.org/research/sota/city-rankings/states/texas/dallas

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs. (n.d.). Health & Environmental Effects of Air Pollution. www.mass.gov. Retrieved July 17, 2022, from https://www.mass.gov/doc/health-environmental-effects-of-air-pollution/download#:~:text=Air%20pollution%20can%20damage%20crops,(such%20as%20harsh%20weather).

Supreme Court of the United States. (2022, June 30). WEST VIRGINIA ET AL. v. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ET AL. www.supremecourt.gov. Retrieved July 17, 2022, from https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-1530_n758.pdf

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Overview of Greenhouse Gases. www.epa.gov. Retrieved July 17, 2022, from https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2022). OUR NATION’S AIR TRENDS THROUGH 2021 [Graph]. www.epa.gov. https://gispub.epa.gov/air/trendsreport/2022/#home

World Health Organization. (n.d.-a). Air pollution - Impact. www.who.int. Retrieved July 17, 2022, from https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution#tab=tab_2

World Health Organization. (n.d.-b). Air pollution - Overview. www.who.int. Retrieved July 17, 2022, from https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution#tab=tab_1

World Health Organization. (2021, September 22). WHO global air quality guidelines: particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide. www.who.int. Retrieved July 17, 2022, from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/978924003422

HHPH-510-01W: Blog Set Up

Hello and Welcome!

 My pen name is Paola_TAMUC

According to Healthy People 2030, more than 12 million people worldwide die every year due to unhealthy conditions in both neighborhoods and work areas.

My name is Paola Rosas, and I am pursuing a Master of Public Health. The topic I have selected to discuss is Air Pollution in Dallas, TX.

Thank you for reading my introduction blog. I hope to provide valuable information to you.

Healthy People 2030. (n.d.). Environmental Health. www.Health.Gov. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/environmental-health#:~:text=Environmental%20pollutants%20can%20cause%20health,and%20some%20types%20of%20cancer.&text=People%20with%20low%20incomes%20are,health%20problems%20related%20to%20pollution.