Ubiquitous Killer

When people think of a killer, they imagine a force that they could visualize and

quarantine away from what they care for. Colorless, odorless and tasteless, polluted air is the

hazard following in everyone’s shadows that no one notices. Air pollution has been an issue on

Earth especially in recent history due to the boom of the industrial revolution. However, with

technology advancing at an exponential rate, you would expect air pollution to decrease since

most of the major countries from the revolution have moved past utilizing air polluting factories.

While air pollution mainly harms the health of the organisms living within it, the effects flow

off` to affect the economy negatively. Four major factors contribute to air pollution: electric

power generation, oil and gas extraction, coal mining, and the activities of oil refineries. These

actions emit pollutants which affect the environment, economy, and people’s health.

Statistics show air pollution kills more people than gun violence and car accidents

combined. (Cherise) Air pollution causes health-related deaths, these deaths occur through heart

attacks, asthma attacks, and stroke. The toxins from air pollution also lead to diseases that affect

the lung and heart, and it can lead to cancer. Recent research shows that air pollution plays a role

in another health risk, obesity. In Beijing, researchers exposed laboratory rats to polluted air for

three to eight weeks. The rats exposed to the air pollution gained more weight than the control

group and ended up with other obesity related problems. (CTVNEWS) Air pollutants such as

sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, ammonia, carbon monoxide, and ozone are the cause of these

health-related deaths and disease. (Harvey) These pollutants spread rapidly and are not visible to

the human eye, making them the fourth leading cause of death and by far the leading

environmental risk factor for disease. (The Guardian) The pollutants are created when fossil

fuels are burned. Fossil fuels supply people with many essential resources, but they also emit air
pollutants. This creates controversy because in order to eliminate air pollution, certain resources

would have to be sacrificed. Eliminating oil refineries, electric power plant, and automobiles

would take a toll on the economy because they provide the public with resources that they have

grown accustomed to such as jobs.

In Russia, there are areas plagued by industrial pollution, but the cause of the pollution is

the people of these areas who harm the environment and themselves in the process. Anna

Kireeva says “ the Kola Mining and Metallurgy Company (KMMC) … is poisoning the region

with sulfur dioxide.”(Digges) What do they gain from their deleterious actions? Money. Money

is what drives Russia and many other region’s landscape into desolation. The company holds a

tight grip over the Murmansk region in two different ways. First, KMMC is “one of the largest

taxpaying entities in the Murmansk region”(Digges) and threatens to relocate its services when

approached to “comply with environmental protection regulations”(Digges). Relocation would

result in less funds available to the people of Murmansk which makes the problem harder to

eliminate because these people benefit as citizens of the region. Second, relocation would “cost

the industrial towns thousands of jobs”(Digges) harming the people of the region. The industry

provides benefits and detriments to the people of the region, but an alternative should be pushed

to remove the air pollution problem and provide an income for the people that currently assist in

destroying their environment. For example, residents employed by KMMC could start up an

organization similar to Jay Kannaiyan’s startup Smart Air Filters in India(Parents). This

business would help alleviate two problems of the residences, firstly it would give them a source

of income. Secondly it would divert the efforts of the people from harming the environment to

assisting people with living in their environment. Without taking the first step to erasing the

problem, these people will be trapped in a cycle of living in and harming their environment.
 Not only is the health of the economy and humans at risk because of air pollution, but the

health of our environment is at jeopardy also. One of the biggest contributors to this problem

would be motor vehicles. Motor vehicles come in many different shapes and forms but one thing

that they all have in common is that they are powered by some sort of energy source, in this case

either gasoline or diesel. Both have positive characteristics but they both also have some major

negative attributes also. A science experiment was conducted by inner-city school kids and

researchers at the University of Maryland, College Park to help show these negative effects. Five

high school students wore air monitors on their chest on MTA Buses to and from three city

schools to determine the effects of air pollution on schoolchildren (Wheeler). According to John

Ondov, an atmospheric chemist at College Park, “inner-city residents are exposed to a variety of

harmful air pollutants, which studies have shown can cause respiratory problems and premature

deaths” (Wheeler). Since many city students get to school by riding MTA buses, they are

exposed to diesel exhaust as they wait at bus stops and make their daily commutes. The students

who helped conduct the experiment get to spend time later in the summer to analyze their

samples gathered and then present their results at an environmental health conference to

educated others about air pollution (Wheeler).

Diesel engines move a large portion of the world’s goods, power much of the world’s

equipment, and generate electricity more economically than any other device in their size range.

Even though it has many positive impacts, diesel is still one of the largest contributors to

environmental pollution problems worldwide. Diesel emissions contribute to the development of

cancer; cardiovascular and respiratory health effect; pollution of air, water and soil and many

other harmful things (California). A small amount of the fuel exits the engine unburned and then

these airborne hydrocarbons can form larger particles in the atmosphere when they contact
airborne dust and other particles (NYSDEC). Diesel engines operate with excess air so emissions

of carbon monoxide are very low but the most noxious part of diesel engine exhaust is smoke. If

a diesel engine is poorly or improperly maintained, exhaust smoke can be thick, black and

continuous. Fuel changes, such as reduced sulfur and aromatics content, have resulted in

immediate improvements across the entire diesel on- and off-road fleet (California). Technology

has shown a significant promise in reducing emissions from sources currently dominated by

diesel use, such as hybrids and fuel cells. Everyone can take small steps toward helping reduce

their carbon footprint when it comes to vehicles because of the vast array of alternatives. These

include walking, riding a bike, carpooling, or even using public transportation.

Air pollution is not easily noticeable so awareness is the first step to ridding the world of

this problem. Since pollution is not being halted or reduced in a lot of regions, but instead rising

due to the habits of the locals from factories to diesel engines. The killer has not yet reached it’s

full potential and it would benefit human society greatly to assure this never happens. The

sources of air pollution help boost the economy by providing jobs for the populace. It also,

however, introduces various health risks to people and deteriorates the environment. In order to

prevent the ubiquitous killer from causing more harm, people need to encourage companies to

follow “modern safety standards”(Digges). In turn, this would diminish health risks, keep the

economy stable without discarding companies and prevent further damage to the environment.
 Works Cited

"Air Pollution Linked to 5.5 Million Premature Deaths." Air Pollution Linked to 5.5 Million

Premature Deaths. The Guardian, 20 Feb. 2016. Web. 22 Feb. 2016

"Air Pollution Exposure Linked to Increased Risk of Obesity." CTVNews. Relaxnews, 22 Feb.

2016. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

Ansari, Azadeh. "Air Pollution Deaths on the Rise, Study Predicts." CNN. Cable News Network,

16 Sept. 2015. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

California Air Resources Board. "Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology

Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2001. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

 Digges, Charles. "Industrial Pollution Is Public Enemy Number One, Russian

Environmentalists Tell Bellona Conference - Bellona.org." Bellona.org. Charles Digges,

20 Aug. 2014. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

Harvey, Chealsea. "The Staggering Economic Cost of Air Pollution."Washington Post. The

Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2016. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

Kessler, Rebecca. "Air Pollution's Impact on Cancer Is "Grossly Underestimated"" Scientific

American. Rebecca Kessler, 1 July 2014. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

NYSDEC Division of Air Resources Vehicle Pollution. "Disclaimer." Diesel Engine Impact on

Air Quality. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

Parents, Jain's. "Death by Pollution: Delhi's Fight for Clean Air." CNNMoney. Cable News

Network, 18 Feb. 2016. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

Udell, Cherise. "Which Is Deadlier: Guns, Cars or Air Pollution?" What Is Deadlier? Guns?

Cars? Air Pollution? Care2, 18 Feb. 2016. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

Vidal, John. "UK Air Pollution: Why Are We Only Now Waking up to This Public Health

Crisis?" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 19 Mar. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

Wheeler, Timothy B. "In Name of Science, Teens Brave Stares Experiment: Young People Are

Wearing Air Monitors and Portable Air Pumps on MTA Buses to and from Three City

Schools to Determine the Effects of Air Pollution on Schoolchildren." Tribunedigital-

baltimoresun. N.p., 10 July 1996. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

"When You Don't Test Diesels, You Get Air Pollution That Makes News."Standard-Examiner.

N.p., 11 Feb. 2016. Web. 23 Feb. 2016

ufc = up for change

particulate matter

Economics

● Every dollar spent solving the problem gives 30 dollars back to the community

● Jobs in certain Russian areas that harm the area are controlled by economically powerful

groups that provide a lot of jobs to the area.

● Coal industry is supposed to help India get out of it’s technological decline, however the

atmosphere has destroyed due to coal burning in its past.

● Majority of damages come from refineries, affects environment and economy.

Economy not keeping air as clean as possible

Health Effects

● Leads to obesity. Obese people have more health problems, cost money to get rid of.

● Deaths related to heart attacks, lung disease, cancer, and asthma

●
Environmental Effects
● diesel emissions contribute to the development of cancer;
○ cardiovascular and respiratory health effects
○ pollution of air, water and soil
● smoke from the exhaust of a diesel engine is the most noxious part
● the sooty particles that diesels pump out in great volumes, are great at absorbing sunlight
and warming up the atmosphere