When the United States was in the developmental stage of its existence many great things came to be; but at the expense of the health of the people to come. The idea that with something so great, the creation of a strong nation could bring about an ailing weakness to the place that everyone call home. With the increase of product and the creation of new and better technology the world around us is deteriorating due to pollution. Within the last fifty years the people have become more aware and concerned with the problems that pollution is creating for our earth. .
Pollution is defined as the presence of foreign harmful substances within the atmosphere resulting is damage to the environment and human life. There are eight main air pollutants that affect the atmosphere According to edugreen. Carbon monoxide (co) is produced by incomplete burning of carbon based fuel like wood. Carbon dioxide (co2) is the principle greenhouse gas emitted as a result of human activity. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) are gases that are mainly released by air conditioning systems and refrigeration systems. Lead which is found in paint and hair dye products can cause nervous system damage and other illnesses. Ozone that occurs near ground level is caused by vehicles and industry that lowers our resistances to colds. Nitrogen oxide (Nox) causes smog and acid rain. Suspended particulate matter (spm) is solids in the air that when breathed in can lung damage and respiratory problems. Finally Sulphur dioxide (so2) is a gas produced by burning coal that may cause lung diseases (2&3). With these eight air pollutants within the atmosphere the question is how long have they been there.
With the first trace of man also came the first trace of pollution. According to John Hart, Author of Saving Cities, Saving Money: Environmental Strategies that Work the first source of pollution may have been form fires that that were built in poorly ventilated caves (1).