14 March 2008
Progress in the world has added to environmental damage. Smog is a very noticeable fallout of pollution from progress. Sad to say developing countries are beginning to have severe consequences from lack of laws governing industry. Here in the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency is supposed to be a protection for us but are they? They just decided to lower ozone at ground level from 84 parts per billion to 75. If it passes review it could be years before it is implemented. A scientific advisory panel recommends 60 to 70 parts per billion. The Automobile Industry, which contributes to our pollution has a strong lobby in Washington to fight stronger standards. Some states like California are trying to establish their own tighter standards rather than rely on Federal laws.
Even at 75 ozone parts per billion, risks to health are prevalent. Tens of millions of people live where ozone levels do not meet the current standard of 84. Here in the Seattle, “smog alerts” are becoming more frequent. This time of year low morning fogs trap pollution and the health risks are with us. More and more people are developing respiratory ailments. Ground-level ozone is also a greenhouse gas. We in the U.S. are more fortunate than the people in China for instance. In 2002 I spent a couple of weeks in Xi’an, China as a volunteer teacher of English. This is a city which uses brown coal for it’s power source and from my 6th floor hotel room I could barely see the ground. I coughed for over a month after my return home. I believe that our athletes going to the Olympics in Beijing are taking a terrible health risk. I was very careful while in China to breathe very shallowly. Think of what athletes do when performing.
Sad but true, people in industry are still disputing the relationship between ozone and human health. Even sadder is that it all comes down to money. It’s expensive to make the changes needed for cleaner air and all they can think about is profit. As “Earth Day” approaches next month it’s time to think about what we can do in our lives to protect the environment and our health.
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