April 17th, 2009 20,000 Liters of Air Pollution Per Day?
Anytime I’m back visiting Colorado I get a bit of a shock: I can breathe! When I first flew in to Atlanta last August to begin school, I was overwhelmed by the stark difference between the two places in regards to air quality. As the months have progressed my lungs have steadily adjusted to the high level of pollution that surrounds me. I don’t even notice it anymore. Air pollution has become a part of every day life for me.
Air pollution comes from numerous sources including factories, buses, motor vehicles, power plants, wildfires, and dust. Any contamination in the air can be considered an air pollutant. Air pollution can be damaging to humans, vegetation, the eco-system and the ozone layer. For humans in particular, extensive damage can be done to the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, which are among the leading causes of hospitalization and/or death.
This is an issue that affects the health of many. To put it in perspective, the average human inhales 20,000 liters of air per day; this makes it very likely that that person will come in contact with pollutants at some point. If that air contains a high percentage of chemicals and pollutants than the risk of developing a health problem increases. Air pollution is present in the atmosphere and therefore can travel easily. Air Pollution does tend to be concentrated in certain areas. Many of the locations with the highest amount of pollution are located in Russia.
So, Atlanta residents, you can breathe easy tonight, unless of course, you are one of the millions that suffer from asthma, lung cancer, heart disease, chronic respiratory disease or damaged brain, nerves, liver or kidneys. Sleep easy, city, breathe easy tonight.
