Describe the issue (Criteria air pollutants and cardiovascular disease ) and exp

Question

Describe the issue (Criteria air pollutants and cardiovascular disease ) and expand on how exposure and human health may be modified for the given topic in relation to climate change. This may be in terms of both severity, frequency and geography. Additionally, you should indicate if you think that there are Environmental Justice (EJ) issues associated with the health aspect, and expand on the nature of this concern. This could include location, built environment and lack of empowerment of affected groups. Finally indicate what may be useful to remediate the selected problem

Explanation / Answer

Air pollution contributes to a wide variety of adverse health effects. EPA has established national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for six of the most common air pollutants - carbon monoxide, lead, ground-level ozone, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide - known as “criteria” air pollutants (or simply “criteria pollutants”). The presence of these pollutants in ambient air is generally due to numerous diverse and widespread sources of emissions. The primary NAAQS are set to protect public health. EPA also sets secondary NAAQS to protect public welfare from adverse effects of criteria pollutants, including protection against visibility impairment, or damage to animals, crops, vegetation, or buildings.

Some of the air quality standards are designed to protect the public from adverse health effects that can occur after being exposed for a short time, such as hours to days. Other standards are designed to protect people from adverse health effects that are associated with long-term exposures (months to years). For example, the standard for ozone is based on pollutant concentrations measured over a short-term period of eight hours.

n. EPA’s selection of the current standards for particulate matter was based primarily on concerns for mortality and cardiovascular effects, as well as respiratory effects. EPA’s selection of the current standard for lead was intended to reduce risks of neurodevelopmental effects in children. The standard for carbon monoxide is intended primarily to protect against potential effects in people with heart disease. The Clean Air Act does not require the EPA Administrator to establish a primary NAAQS at a zero-risk level or at background concentration levels, but rather at a level that reduces risk sufficiently so as to protect health with an adequate margin of safety. However, pollutant concentrations that are lower than the levels of the standards are not necessarily without risk for all individuals. No risk-free level of exposure has been determined for any of the criteria pollutants.

EPA’s Air Quality Index (AQI) represents air quality for each individual day and is widely reported in newspapers and other media outlets in metropolitan areas. The AQI is based on daily measurements of up to five of the six air quality criteria pollutants (carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide). The standard for lead is not included in the AQI because it requires averaging concentrations over a three-month period, and it can take several weeks to collect and analyze lead samples

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