Comparing Air Pollution in Cincinnati versus Cleveland

Comparing Air Pollution in Cincinnati versus Cleveland

Air pollution is the presence in or introduction into the air of a substance, which has harmful or poisonous effects. It affects areas differently based on the causes and source of the pollution. Most air pollution is the direct result of the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas, and gasoline to produce electricity and power our vehicles. Cincinnati and Cleveland are both metro areas that often times have high levels of air pollution. Cincinnati has been known to have a problem with severe ozone pollution and has been under several air quality advisories this past summer. “Ozone air pollution at ground level where we can breathe it (inthe troposphere) causes serious health problems.” Spending time outdoors while the ozone pollution levels are high leaves people at risk for breathing problems and other harmful health defects.

In Hamilton County, where Cincinnati is, the current map says the air quality is good which means that it is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk however these levels are always changing.

In Cuyahoga County, where Cleveland is, the current map says the air quality is also good.

 “The Cleveland area remains one of the worst performers in thecountry for air quality, despite significant improvements over the past 15years according to the annual State of the Air report from the American LungAssociation. The metropolitan area still suffers from high levels ofparticulate pollution, or soot, in the air year-round due to vehicle exhaustand has too many days with high ozone levels. High ozone level days havedropped to almost one-third of their 2000 levels, but remain above acceptable limitsfor health of residents.” 

Both cities have room for improvement as well as the rest of the world in terms of reducing our air pollution.

Roundup’s Effects on Humans

Roundup’s Effects on Humans

Roundup is the brand name of a herbicide produced by Monsanto typically used for spot treatment of gardens, lawns, paved areas, and some agricultural crops. It is often sprayed directly on a host of non-GMO crops. There is a lot of controversy with this product and whether or not this product is environmentally friendly. Glyphosate is the chemical in Roundup which is a systemic herbicide and an organophosphorus compound used to kill 

weeds. 

“Monsanto has falsified data on Roundup’s safety, and marketed it to parks departments and consumers as“environmentally friendly” and “biodegradable, to encourage its use it on road sides, playgrounds, golf courses, schoolyards, lawns and home gardens. A French court ruled those marketing claims amounted to false advertising.” The continuous exposure of this product has been shown to have health consequences in the food and water that we drink, and in the air. “In farming communities, there’s a strong correlation between Roundup exposure and attention deficit disorder(ADHD), likely due to glyphosate’s capacity to disrupt thyroid hormone functions.” It has also been known to correlate with Alzheimer’s disease, birth defects, Autism, brain cancer, breast cancer, as well as many other life-threatening health issues. Glyphosate, a chemical in Roundup, induces human breast cancer cells growth via estrogen receptors. The company has done absolutely nothing to improve their worldwide influence on human and environmental health. The harmful consequences of this product greatly outweigh the benefits and should be taken off the market. 

Nuclear Power Plant Explosions and the Environment

Nuclear Power Plant Explosions and the Environment

Nuclear power pants are in general thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. Not only do these explosions cause obvious physical damage from the fire and explosion itself, the radioactive material that is released can cause much more harm. Humans can be exposed to acute radiation syndrome, which affects most of the body. It has the ability to give you skin rashes, vomiting and diarrhea, to coma and death depending on the does. 

Following the Chernobyl nuclear reactor explosion inUkraine in 1986, more than 6000 people developed thyroid cancer, probably afterdrinking contaminated milk as children, according to an investigation bythe UN released in February. Radiation damages DNA and can even be fatal. In terms of the environmental effects, plant and animal health becomes at risk. After the Chernobyl explosion, many were killed by acute radiation. The dead pines were removed from the forests and buried and livestock was removed during the human evacuations. Oxidative stress and low levels of antioxidants have a had severe consequences on the development of the nervous system, including reduced brain size and impaired cognitive abilities.  Invertebrate populations (including bumblebees, butterflies,grasshoppers, dragonflies, and spiders) have significantly decreased. Nuclear power plant explosions release large quantities of radioactive particles into the atmosphere and have tremendous affects.