AQI- 55

PM2.5- 53

ozone- 39

statistics on air pollution:

more than 125 million people in the u.s. that live with air pollution

4/10 americans that live wwith unhealthy ozone

6 million premature deaths coe from the effects of air pollution

Air pollution is esttimmated to cause the US government 3% of it's GDP, or $617 billion

3. Then visit this linkLinks to an external site. and add statistics from the following sections: (What is Air Pollution?) Number of people who currently breathe air that exceeds WHO's guideline limits for pollutants, and which countries suffer the most

Ninety-nine percent of human beings currently breathe air that exceeds the WHO’s guideline limits for pollutants, with those living in low- and middle-income countries suffering the most.

4. (Effects of Air Pollution?) Number of deaths around the globe caused by outdoor and indoor air pollution every year

4.5 million deaths were linked to outdoor air pollution exposures in 2019, and another 2.2 million deaths were caused by indoor air pollution.

5. (Smog and soot) According to Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in what areas were COVID-19 mortality rates higher? Give at least one possible reason for this.

COVID-19 mortality rates were higher in areas with more particulate matter pollution than in areas with even slightly less, showing a correlation between the virus’s deadliness and long-term exposure to air pollution.

In the United States, people of color are 1.5 times more likely than whites to live in areas with poor air quality, according to the ALA.

2. (Air Pollution and Environmental Justice) What is redlining, and how has it led to environmental injustice?

Discriminatory lending practices- redlining keep polluting industries away from white neighborhoods and have turned communities of color into sacrifice zones, where residents are forced to breathe dirty air and suffer the many health problems associated with it, whiich is innjust.

3. (Air Pollution and Environmental Justice) What is environmental racism, and which group of people is most vulnerable to it? Why do you think so? It is the bd envronmental effects being arounnd people of color instead of white people. Outdoor laborers, including the estimated three million migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the United States are the most vulnerable.

4. (How to Protect Your Health) List at least 3 things you can do to protect yourself from air pollution.

-If you exercise outside, stay as far as you can from heavily trafficked roads. Then shower and wash your clothes to remove fine particles.

-If you’re using an air conditioner while outdoor pollution conditions are bad, use the recirculating setting to limit the amount of polluted air that gets inside.

-If you live or work in an area that’s prone to wildfires, stay away from the harmful smoke as much as you’re able.

5. We will watch this videoLinks to an external site. - describe environmental injustice in Houston and suggest what needs to be done (at least 2 sentences).

Envronmental injustice in houston can be seen in concrete batch plant, and a old railyard being placed around certain black/hispanic neighborhoods and low income areeas. What needs to be done, is relocatingg the residents affected, and push back against companies going against existing laws.

The Clean Air Act is a comprehensive federal law that gives the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) authority to regulate air pollutants and polluting industries.

2. (Why was the Clean Air Act created?) Why was the Clean Air Act created?

Before the existence of the Clean Air Act, unregulated industrialization and our increasing dependence on cars dramatically increased public exposure to dangerous pollutants like particulate matter and ground-level ozone, or smog.

3. (When was the Clean Air Act passed?) What year was the Clean Air Act signed into law and by which president?

signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 31, 1970

4. (How does the Clean Air Act authorize the EPA to control pollution?) What is the EPA required to do, and what are the 6 major pollutants?

The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to set national health-based standards for air pollution. The six major pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act’s NAAQS are ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and lead (Pb).

5. (What challenges does the Clean Air Act face? - Litigation and legislation) During Biden's administration in 2022, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act. What does the Inflation Reduction Act do? It holds that the original 1970 Clean Air Act also covers climate-changing pollution—and reinvigorated EPA’s regulatory mandate with new funding, including grants and incentives to help industries, states, and localities pay for deeper pollution cuts.

6. Go to this websiteLinks to an external site. and read and explain what it means that Biden is "rolling back the rollbacks" carried out by Trump. Then scroll down to the rollbacks. Change "Topic" to "Air Pollution and Emissions". List 2 completed reversals and 2 incomplete actions (no action taken) that you think are important to take action on.

Completed reversals:

Petition to Establish National Pollution Limits for Greenhouse Gases

Pollutant-Specific Significant Contribution Finding for GHG Emissions From New, Modified, and Reconstructed Stationary

2 incomplete actions:

National Performance Management Measures for National Highway System

Fast-tracking Small-Scale Natural Gas Exports

1/8 childhood asthma cases. Gas stoves combine nitrogen and oxygen to create nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide, collectively known as NOx, which can irritate the lungs. But that’s not the only compound to worry about. Cooking with gas can also emit carbon monoxide, particulate matter and even formaldehyde.

2. List 3 things that can be done to decrease indoor air pollution caused by gas stoves.

use the fume hood when using the stove

change to electric stoves

open winndows when in use

3. Read the first 2 sections (after Intro, with headings) of this articleLinks to an external site. to answer the following about lichens: What are lichens? Why are lichens great air pollution indicators? List a few more indicator species.

Lichens are miniature ecosystems made of fungus and an algae and/or cyanobacteria. To grow, lichens get their nutrients from the air. Because lichens have no roots or protective surface, they cannot filter what they absorb, so anything in the air is taken straight inside. If there are pollutants, it can accumulate in the lichen and can become toxic very quickly, and it shows on the lichen. Other indicator species are butterflies and nematodes.

4. What 2 main air pollutants affect lichen growth?

Nitrogen and sulphur dioxide.

5. Next, read the first 7 short paragraphs on this websiteLinks to an external site.. Summarize (1-2 sentences) what the new air quality standard aims to do and why.

The new air quality standard aims to create a limit to the annual concentration of particulate matter within a state to 8 micrograms per cubic meter.

6. Based on the last 3 paragraphs, explain why "lowering concentrations of particulate matter would have a greater impact on preventing deaths among Black and low-income white people than among high-income white people".

This is beccause the issues do not bother the high income white people as much in the first place. The issue is larger around low income.

7. Finally, skim over the articleLinks to an external site. and explain why (1-2 sentences) the Supreme Court wants to halt the EPA's plan to cut emissions. Do you think the US EPA should proceed with cutting pollution? Why or why not?

The Supreme Court wants to halt the EPA's plan to cut emissions due to the cost off the changes, nd loosing money. I think that the US EPA should proceed with cutting pollution because money is not worth all of these lives lost. Esspeciallyy the effects itt has on animals, who did nott create this issue.