1. Air pollution transport is the migration of air pollution away from the source and negatively impacting surrounding areas. Often with the air pollution comes environmental degradation and a disproportionate burden of morbidity in populations who did not participate in the production of the pollution. The regional and global air currents are responsible for this phenomenon. Depending on where the pollution is generated, it will be regulated differently, with disproportionate adherence to clean air standards motivated by financial gain of industry (Murphy, 2016). In response to this growing problem the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) was established to set and maintain national standards in the U.S. However, as we have discussed, pollution is not constrained by borders, so the larger conversation is required with trans-boundary flow of pollution with neighboring countries and with global air quality. The United States …show more content…
The Minamata Convention on Mercury was in response to industrial contamination of the environment resulting in significant health disturbances in the native population. The convention includes the control and reduction of mercury producing processes such as coal-fired power plants, cement plants, industrial boilers and waste incinerators (Murphy, 2016). The mercury emissions are not contained within a boundary and result in global pollution as the particulate matter once airborne can travel great distances, expanding those affected. The Minamata Convention requires nations to reduce and control all mercury emissions in industrial manufacturing and in all retail products. Once released into the environment there is little that can be done to clean up contaminated grounds and through the process of bio magnification, mercury build up to toxic levels in predatory animals who are then consumed by humans causing harmful exposure well away from the original source of the mercury