The Toxic Air We Breathe

There are some very important facts about air pollution that you should be aware of that can ultimately keep you from serious harm and could actually save your life. When you dig deeper in to studying air pollution facts, you will find them very disturbing. It will become very evident that the move you planned on making to a major city, or the type of hairspray that you use will require some serious thought.

One of the scariest air pollution facts is that people who live in major cities like New York City, Pittsburgh, or Los Angeles live on the average of 2-3 years less than people in cities with cleaner air. This reduced life expectancy is directly due to the health consequences of continually breathing polluted air. We all agree that life is short enough. Don't subject yourself to unhealthy situations that can obviously shorten your life?

Many people still believe that industry is the biggest cause of air pollution. This is only partly true, They only contribute about 10 percent of the total cancer risk in major cities. The other 90 percent of the risks related to cancer come from the emission from the various methods of transportation. Not only does this inclde the major polluters, it also includes automobiles, buses, trucks ships, and trains. While major cities don't have a lot of lawns like the suburbs do, you would be shocked to find out how much pollution you generate by the simple act of mowing your lawn. The fact remains is that most air pollution is generated by humans burning fossil fuels.

Another scary fact is that children breathe at a faster rate than adults and as a consequence, they breathe in much more polluted air than an adult. This increased exposure to air pollution has been directly connected to increase incidence of childhood asthma. Asthma has been noted to be the leading reason that children miss school.

It has also been estimated that 6.1 to 51 million work days are lost due to air pollution in just one year in the United States.

Health problems caused by air pollution costs more than money and lost time in school or work, it can actually cost you our life. If your home, office or school is located near a high traffic area, you have an increased risk for lung disease, bronchitis asthma and even cancer.

If you are armed with solid air pollution facts, you will better understand the reasons you should be cutting down on the pollution levels in the air that you breathe. Car pooling is one of the most effective ways to reduce air pollution. Many people are lucky enough to have other co-workers who live in the same area. By car-pooling you not only save money in gas, you also save wear and tear on your automobile. On a larger scale, you are also cutting down on the amount of emissions you are pumping into the atmosphere. If more people made the effort to carpool, there would be a measurable decrease in the amount of air pollution in major cites worldwide.

Add to this the fact that chemicals used in the homes such as aerosol hair spray, and copy machines used in offices, are also a major contributor to air pollution. Switching to environmentally safe products will eventually become the norm as the toxic chemicals that are found in nearly everything we use on a daily basis, are eliminated.

Conclusion

The fact remains that air pollution is a huge problem and although great strides are being made to reduce the situation, most people are overwhelmed by the scope of the problem. If everyone took small steps to reduce air pollution, the air we breathe would be in much better shape than it is now.