Introduction Today smog is a visible type of air pollution that appears in a thick, foggy haze in the air. There are many sources where smog come from for example, industrial fumes, vehicle emissions, and even comes from paints and hairsprays. In many cities smog is the culprit from vehicle emissions. Smog can be composed of many other chemical compounds thus coming from many different sources. In this paper there will be a discussion of the harmful impacts of smog and what the United States Environmental protection agency is doing to help.
Smog comes from many sources including automobile exhaust, coal burning power plants and even factories that produce consumer products. Such as paint, hairspray, chemical solvents, and even charcoal starting fluid. A substantial amount of smog produced comes from cars, boats, trucks and buses. The majority of smog comes from, coal burning power plants releasing a mixture of smoke and sulfur dioxide. There is evidence, and it is linked to heavy automobile traffic, increased temperatures, sunshine and calm winds. Geography and weather affect the location and severity of the smog. This is because temperature regulates the time and the length; it takes for smog to form. For example, smog can appear more rapidly during a clear hot sunny day. When the warm air stays close to the ground, instead of rising, and the wind is calm, smog can stay trapped in the area for some period of time. Air pollution or smog is a non-point source of pollution and can travel far distances, and also comes from multiple sources. With this in mind it’s very hard to regulate. There are many harmful impacts from smog pollution including respiratory illnesses, such as asthma attacks, coughing, and throat irritation. …show more content…
There may also be damage to the lungs making it hard to breathe causing lung conditions including bronchitis, and emphysema Smog can also cause headaches, eye and nose irritations. The smog can dry out protective membranes in the nose and throat making you more susceptible to infections. The effects of smog are not limited to humans, as it turns out plants are more sensitive to air pollutants than humans are (Citation). Acid rain as a result of smog has left areas with severely damaged vegetation. Smog affects Plants and leaves discoloring them and even reducing photosynthesis by fifty percent. Plants may also be more susceptible to pests, environmental disasters, and disease (citation). Plants reproduction is hindered because of the ability to store food. There is evidence that smog has caused ten to forty percent growth loss, premature aging, and a decrease in pollen production (citation). There is also evidence of crop loss due to smog. There are some steps in place to help reduce smog pollution. In 1970 the Clean Air Act was passed, which is a federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources ("Summary of the Clean Air Act," n.d.).This law also authorized the Environmental Protection Agency to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards to help the public welfare, and health ("Summary of the Clean Air Act," n.d.).There also laws in certain states which require passing emission testing to meet the requirements. For example, The Colorado Department of Revenue Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) requires residents of certain counties to get emissions inspections ("Colorado
Smog comes from many sources including automobile exhaust, coal burning power plants and even factories that produce consumer products. Such as paint, hairspray, chemical solvents, and even charcoal starting fluid. A substantial amount of smog produced comes from cars, boats, trucks and buses. The majority of smog comes from, coal burning power plants releasing a mixture of smoke and sulfur dioxide. There is evidence, and it is linked to heavy automobile traffic, increased temperatures, sunshine and calm winds. Geography and weather affect the location and severity of the smog. This is because temperature regulates the time and the length; it takes for smog to form. For example, smog can appear more rapidly during a clear hot sunny day. When the warm air stays close to the ground, instead of rising, and the wind is calm, smog can stay trapped in the area for some period of time. Air pollution or smog is a non-point source of pollution and can travel far distances, and also comes from multiple sources. With this in mind it’s very hard to regulate. There are many harmful impacts from smog pollution including respiratory illnesses, such as asthma attacks, coughing, and throat irritation. …show more content…
There may also be damage to the lungs making it hard to breathe causing lung conditions including bronchitis, and emphysema Smog can also cause headaches, eye and nose irritations. The smog can dry out protective membranes in the nose and throat making you more susceptible to infections. The effects of smog are not limited to humans, as it turns out plants are more sensitive to air pollutants than humans are (Citation). Acid rain as a result of smog has left areas with severely damaged vegetation. Smog affects Plants and leaves discoloring them and even reducing photosynthesis by fifty percent. Plants may also be more susceptible to pests, environmental disasters, and disease (citation). Plants reproduction is hindered because of the ability to store food. There is evidence that smog has caused ten to forty percent growth loss, premature aging, and a decrease in pollen production (citation). There is also evidence of crop loss due to smog. There are some steps in place to help reduce smog pollution. In 1970 the Clean Air Act was passed, which is a federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources ("Summary of the Clean Air Act," n.d.).This law also authorized the Environmental Protection Agency to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards to help the public welfare, and health ("Summary of the Clean Air Act," n.d.).There also laws in certain states which require passing emission testing to meet the requirements. For example, The Colorado Department of Revenue Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) requires residents of certain counties to get emissions inspections ("Colorado