"I'm going out for a breath of fresh air" seems to be a phrase we often hear throughout our lives. Unfortunately, in today's world, that "fresh air" isn't exactly fresh. As a result of increasing traffic, city size, economic development, and industrialization, we have more air pollution problems than ever before. A formal definition of air pollution is as follows: Air Pollution occurs in the atmosphere of one or more contaminants in such gases, dust, fumes or odors for such duration as is injurious, or tends to be injurious, to human health or welfare, animal or plant life. (http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/air 2013) It is the contamination of air by the discharge of harmful substances. Air pollution can cause health problems and it can also damage the environment and property. Modernization and progress have led to air becoming more polluted over the years. In this paper I will give details on the impact air pollution has on the respiratory system in humans. A few of the many industries that emit a great deal of pollutants in our ground level ozone include transportation, power plants, and chemical plants. I will be illustrating how industries like these have an effect on the functioning of the lungs by creating health conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, and lung cancer. I will also be comparing measures created by both The U.S and Mexico in attempts to reduce air pollution.
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs, which is characterized by increased sensitivity of the airways to a variety of triggers. It is generally an episodic disease, i.e., acute attacks followed by symptoms free periods. Though most attacks are generally short lived, sometimes-serious conditions occur in which severe Asthma is unrelieved for many hours or even days. The exposure to air pollution affects humans with asthma. The evidence of harmful effects of current air pollution on human health has increased throughout the years.
