Lesson 27 — Activity 2: Why Air Pollution Is a Problem

Air pollution can be released at one location and travel long distances through the atmosphere with prevailing winds. In this way, air pollution can affect air quality locally as well as many miles away. For this reason, air quality problems must be fixed.

In this activity, you will learn about the problems that air pollution can cause.

There are strong links between air pollution and health problems; this is especially evident in the elderly, in young children, and in those with respiratory and cardiac problems. A large number of studies, including some from the Government of Canada, the Ontario Medical Association, and the Toronto Public Health Department, have shown that air pollution can lead to premature death, increased hospital admissions, more emergency room visits, and higher rates of absenteeism within the workplace. While progress is being made to improve air quality, we still have a lot to do, and everyone (individuals, communities, and governments) has a role to play.

As a community grows, so does the need for controls on the amount of pollution that it can release into the environment. Air pollution may possibly harm communities so slowly that they are not even aware of the problem until it is quite serious. As a result, it is important that governments invest in research about air pollution and take action to reduce it.

Air pollution can do more than just make people sick. As we have researched the effects of air pollution, we have also discovered that air pollution is responsible for the holes in the ozone layer in the atmosphere above the North and South Poles.

These holes allow an increased amount of ultraviolet radiation to reach the earth's surface. This radiation is directly related to skin cancer and other health effects.

All of the reasons mentioned in this activity make it clear that an air quality agreement was necessary.

Self-check!

Digging Deeper!