Research-Based Report

KAO2

AIR POLLUTION KAO 2

Research-based report to a decision maker (Health problem of air pollution)

Name: Kao Badi

Class: WRTG 394

Date: July 7th, 2020

Table of contents

1. 0 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………… 4 Comment by James Getman: Again, delete space.

2.0 Problem……………………………………………………………………………………4

2.1 Primary Research………………………………………………………………….4

2.2 Secondary Research…………………………………………………………….…5

3.0 Solution………………………………………………………………………………...….7

4.0 Conclusion and Recommendation ………………………………………………………...9

5.0 References………………………………………………………………………………...11

6.0 Appendices……………………………………………………………………………….12

Research-based report to a decision maker (Health problem of air pollution)

Executive summary Comment by James Getman: Justify entire document left.

Health is an important aspect for any individual regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity. Air pollution is one of the major issues in modern society associated with health. It is rapid due to the increasing industrial growth caused by technological advancement. Pollution may originate from solid, liquid, or gaseous pollutants.

Air pollution causes a major health problem that involves respiratory disorders. Based on the primary research done through online interviews regarding the problem, the researcher identified that most group affected are the young ones.

Particulate matter is one of the pollutants that is associated with respiratory issues. Based on statistics, more than 545,300,200 people die of respiratory problems caused by air pollution, an indicator that air pollution is extreme.

Additionally, the respiratory problem is associated with some of the components' natural aspects, including ozone and nitrogen oxide. Ozone is detrimental since it is composed of phytochemical constituents.

Various solutions are present in addressing the present issues, including the elimination of particulate matter through cyclones. Cyclone is one of the appropriate devices applicable in controlling the particulates since it is environment friendly.

Carbon sequestration is another solution and involves reducing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Incomplete combusted carbon leads to problems due to the formation of various substances such as carbon monoxide. Therefore, it is appropriate to ensure that the identified interventions are incorporated to restore community health.

Introduction

Air pollution is one of the major environmental problems in contemporary society. Air pollution is rapid due to the increasing industrial growth as well as other natural causes. Importantly, the earth is majorly composed of dioxygen and dinitrogen. Due to such composition, the pollution can be through solid, liquid, or gaseous pollutants (Choudhary & Garg, 2018). Pollution may be from natural sources or attributed to human activities. Naturally, air pollution may be based on plant emissions, ocean biomass, natural dust, or volcanic gases. On the other hand, anthropogenic or artificial sources include tire and brake abrasion, industrial activities such as mining, smelting, cement manufacturing, energy production such as coal and other household heating processes (Choudhary & Garg, 2018). Particulate matter is one major air pollution composition that affects more individuals in rural and urban settings. More than 4% of the problems caused by air pollution are based on particulate matter (Choudhary & Garg, 2018). Particulate matter is a dangerous component of air pollution due to various substances, including nitrates, ammonium, sulfates, and other inorganic substances. The report thus probes the health problem associated with air pollution.

Problem

Primary research

The major health problem that is caused by air pollution is respiratory disorders. The primary research regarding the problem was conducted through online interviews. The researcher used direct emails to two medical experts, one from the urban settings and remaining and the other from rural settings. The online interview was based on direct questions, both open and close. The questions provided gave the respondents time to do their research and provide accurate answers within one week. Some of the questions included. What do you believe is the major health problem associated with air pollution? The questions are available in Appendix A.

From the primary research, the two medical experts agreed that respiratory disorder is the major air pollution problem. It was also identified that a higher percentage of the patients admitted with respiratory issues are those from highly populated areas. Based on the online interviews with the experts, it was also identified that air pollution is likely to rise in the next few decades due to the increase in both population increase and industrial growth. The respondents also justified research conducted by Brunekreef (2017) that with higher industrial growth, the rate of emission also increases leading to population.

Secondary research

The justification of the problem was also done through the emphasis on secondary research, which involves reviewing the previous scholarly studies. According to Brunekreef (2017), the respiratory disorder is a major air pollution. It is essential to understand that polluted air is composed of some toxic substances that, when directly inhaled, the respiratory tract is impacted. The components in polluted air also impact the PM concentrations, which affects the respiratory system. Statistically, annually, more than 545,300,200 people die of respiratory problems caused by air pollution, an indicator of how serious the problem is (Brunekreef, 2017). A concentration of PM10 leads to the death of respiratory organs, which eventually leads to increased mortalities. Based on the findings, it is evident that with PM exposure, no matter how low its concentration is, it will still lead to respiratory mortalities. Therefore, it is a challenge to control PM concentration since very few studies exist to promote understanding of its component (Brunekreef, 2017). Long-term exposure to PM eventually leads to respiratory issues leading to adverse effects. Based on the findings, it was justified that air pollution is a major problem that must be addressed to ensure that community health is restored.

Other than PM as a component of air pollutants, it was also discovered that air pollution attributes to the respiratory problem due to the increased exposure to coal smoke and biomass (Valavanidis, Thomais & Konstantinos, 2016). The combustion of biomass fuel has become common in contemporary society, with more than 34.7% of the families relying on biomass fuel (Valavanidis, Thomais & Konstantinos, 2016). The most important population impacted by the indoor burning of biomass fuel is the children (Valavanidis, Thomais & Konstantinos, 2016). The children have a weak and unstable respiratory system, and therefore, whenever they breathe in such polluted smoke, their respiratory organs are impacted, leading to mortalities. Importantly indoor pollution also leads to increased PM concentration than in the external environment leading to respiratory issues. According to the World Health Organization, more than 58% of the world population are exposed to indoor air pollution (Valavanidis, Thomais & Konstantinos, 2016). More importantly, the annual global deaths of young individuals exposed to biomass and coal smoke are 1, 619, 455 (Valavanidis, Thomais & Konstantinos, 2016). It is thus essential to understand that ensuring that both the young and old population are saved from such disaster, appropriate intervention strategies and solutions should be incorporated.

Moreover, the respiratory problem of air pollution is also associated with the natural aspects of some of the components, including ozone and nitrogen oxide. Ozone is a harmful natural component; therefore, its management is nearly impossible. Ozone is detrimental since it is composed of phytochemical constituents (Lobdell et al., 2017). It is majorly attributed to the reactions of various air pollutants, which may be naturally or artificially emitted. The issues associated with ozone contribute more than 1% of the respiratory problem. Additionally, the emission of nitrogen is also a major contributor to the respiratory problem since it affects the respiratory system's normal operation. Nitrates aerosols are dangerous since they get rid of the oxygen, an important aspect of the breathing system for every individual. Since nitrate aerosols lead to the deprivation of oxygen, the results obtained are malfunctioning of the respiratory organs (Giles et al., 2017). Therefore, it is evident that air pollution is not only a problem on its own but leads to a major problem that involves respiratory disorders. Therefore, it is important to incorporate an appropriate decision to address the problem. The decision should not be based on addressing respiratory issues but the source of respiratory issues, which is the increased air pollution both externally and internally.

Solutions

Numerous solutions are appropriate in addressing air pollution, which would eventually resolve the problem of respiratory disorders. Many alternatives regarding solutions towards air pollution are available for the decision-maker. One of the key solutions is controlling the particulates. The airborne particles that are responsible for the respiratory problem can be eliminated from the air through the application of various processes (Minnick, 2017). Cyclone is one of the appropriate devices that are applicable in controlling the particulates. Cyclone works by enabling the polluted air to move to well established cylindrical chambers. While in the chambers, a swirling process is initiated, enabling the larger particulate to be forced out. Due to the inertia, the pollutants have eventually forced the spiral upwards. Lastly, accumulated particulate is then left through the hopper disposal. The identified solution is accurate and can remove up to 97% of the pollutant from the air (Minnick, 2017). The solution is also advantageous since it involves a physical process and free from any chemical. The process itself is thus environmentally friendly and should be adequately incorporated to restore health among the children, adults, and the aged.

The second solution that applies to address air pollution, is the incorporation of the various processes to promote the control of the emitted gases. Based on the research, it was identified that sulfur dioxide is one of the most toxic gases that lead to health issues, including respiratory failure (Richards, 2016). The appropriate solution should be desulfurization to limit the cases associated with such pollution. Desulfurization is an important process that involves using scrubbers to absorb sulfur dioxide from the atmosphere. The process involves bringing together the flue gas and the absorbent to ensure direct contact between the two (Richards, 2016). Direct contact eventually leads to a desulfurization process in which sulfur dioxide is adequately eliminated. Additionally, other than desulfurization, control of the gases emitted in the atmosphere can be attained through the adsorption process. Adsorption is a technique that involves the use of a solid adsorbent material, which enables the gas molecules the polluted gas molecules to remain on the solid surfaces (Richards, 2016). It is appropriate for the companies to ensure that the adsorption methods are adequately incorporated to limit air pollution. Therefore, other than controlling particulates, another solution appropriate for resolving air pollution is eliminating the toxic air that is emitted to the air.

Lastly, besides controlling the particulate matter and gases emitted in the air, another solution is the sequestration. One of the major causes of respiratory problems is household combustion. The major group impacted by the problem are the children (Minnick, 2017). Therefore, through carbon sequestration, the amount of carbon emitted to the environment is adequately reduced. Carbon sequestration involves the use of alternative energy sources that do not directly emit carbon to the air (Minnick, 2017). The reason being carbon, which has incompletely burn, leads to problems due to the formation of various substances such as carbon monoxide. Therefore, it is essential to understand the solution; there would be a decrease in respiratory issues. Importantly, carbon sequestration is an essential process which may also involve ensuring that carbon is kept underground, other than necessarily emitting to the air. It is a long-term process and requires an adequate plan and management to ensure that the atmosphere is safe (Minnick, 2017). Therefore, ensuring that a limited amount of carbon is reduced during household combustion, the contact between individuals and the toxic carbon substances is reduced, leading to minimal respiratory problems.

Conclusion and recommendation

Pollution may be from natural or anthropogenic sources. Naturally, air pollution may be based on plant emissions, ocean biomass, natural dust, or volcanic gases. Artificial sources include tire and brake abrasion, industrial activities energy production such as coal, and other household heating processes. The major problem of air pollution is a respiratory disorder. Whenever the polluted air is inhaled, respiratory issues are observed, including lung cancer, among others. The components in polluted air also impact the PM concentrations, which heavily lead to respiratory failure. The children are the most impacted population since they have a weak and unstable respiratory system. The children are majorly impacted by indoor pollution as it leads to increased PM concentration than the external, appropriate recommendation is thus important to address the problem.

Based on the research done primarily, it is evident that air pollution is a bigger problem that requires an appropriate solution. Additionally, among the discussed elements, the major source of air pollution is the direct exposure to the smoke and biomass. It is thus recommendable that alternative heating processes which are environment friendly should be incorporated. With the incorporation of such intervention, the general communal population will be restored as the deaths caused by the respiratory problems will be substantially addressed.

References

Brunekreef, B. (2017). Air pollution and human health: From local to global issues. Procedia-

Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(5), 6661-6669.

Choudhary, M. P., & Garg, V. (2018, August). Causes, consequences and control of air pollution. In All India seminar on methodologies for air pollution control, Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Giles, L. V., Barn, P., Künzli, N., Romieu, I., Mittleman, M. A., van Eeden, S., & Smargiassi, A. (2017). From good intentions to proven interventions: effectiveness of actions to reduce the health impacts of air pollution. Environmental health perspectives, 119(1), 29-36.

Lobdell, D. T., Isakov, V., Baxter, L., Touma, J. S., Smuts, M. B., & Özkaynak, H. (2017). Feasibility of assessing public health impacts of air pollution reduction programs on a local scale: New Haven case study. Environmental health perspectives, 119(4), 487-493.

Minnick, L. (2017). U.S. Patent No. 3,851,042. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Richards, J. R. (2016). U.S. Patent No. 3,984,296. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Valavanidis, A., Thomais, V., & Konstantinos, F. (2016). Air pollution as a significant cause of diseases and premature death. Comment by James Getman: Seems you picked which comments of mine you would correct and which ones you would not.

Appendix A: Interview questions

1. What do you understand about air pollution?

2. Is there any connection between the air population and the increasing technological advancement?

3. What is the major health problem caused by air pollution?

4. Why do you believe your answer is the major health problem?

5. What is the largest population that the problem you stated affects?

6. What do you believe are the appropriate recommendations for resolving the problem?

7. As a medical expert, what is the psychological impact of the problem you identified?

8. Where do you see the air population in three decades to come?

Appendix B: Letter to the decision-maker.

RE: AIR POLLUTION AND RESPIRATORY PROBLEM

Dear sir/madam

I hereby write a letter to inform you of the rapidly increasing air pollution, which continuously leads to respiratory disorder and mortality. Based on my primary and secondary research, I have concluded that air pollution is one of the major environmental challenges facing our society. As a researcher, I have compiled three different interventions that can help reduce air pollution, which will eventually lead to lowered respiratory death cases. The solutions include carbon sequestration, alternative household heating processes, and the elimination of emitted gas through desulfurization. However, I profoundly recommend using alternative heating household heating processes other than biomass and coal since it is the major cause of air pollution. Therefore, I look forward to the implementation of the solution. Thank You.

Yours faithfully

KAO BADI