Pollution and Health

John Pham
Health 3302-001
Dr. Heather Ray

The standards of health have changed incredibly through that past century. Before World War II, life expectancy wasn’t anywhere near what it is today. Illness was prominent and medical care was rare. Through technological advances in the past several decades, humanity has been able to increase the lifespan of an average person. However, as a result other issues have arisen. Pollution is a concern and is on every political agenda. It is a consequence of the demand and lifestyle of the current society. According to David Briggs (2003) “exposures to environmental pollution remain a major source of health risk throughout the world, though risks are generally higher in developing countries, where poverty, lack of investment in modern technology and weak environmental legislation combine to cause high pollution levels”. Essentially, mankind has the means to prevent further damage to the environment with the current technology it possesses. The current economic landscape is depleting the earth of it’s resources. Currently, about half of the world population lives in urban areas and by 2030 another one and half billion people will move to major urban centers (Environmental sustainability in, 2012). This increased urbanization will progress and affect the planet greatly. Considering this, it is without question that there is a major need for innovation of technologies to repair and prevent further damage to the environment. Natural habitats are dwindling as society pushes its boundaries and the two most important substances; air and water are being poisoned by the big industries of the global economy. Future generations will suffer from the poor environmental conditions that are a direct result of the world contaminating the air and water if communities do not act. Air pollution comes in many forms from industrial and urban emissions. Earth’s atmosphere contains a mixture of gases that includes oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and a small amount of argon. The pollution affects this essential blend of gases that allows the human body to function. Undoubtedly, these foreign substances affect the lungs and could cause respiratory illnesses. The People’s Republic of China is the most populated and the largest developing nation in the world. Under these circumstances where there is exponential economic expansion, fossil fuel industries are heavily relied on for energy. As a consequence, the population of China breath in the worst air quality on the planet. A cohort study was conducted and discovered that there was “significant associations were found between air pollution levels and mortality from cardiopulmonary diseases and lung cancer” (Kan, Chen & Tong, 2012). The Chinese government recognized this pending issue and implemented in 2012 the “National Plan for Air Pollution Control” for the next five years and the “National Action Plan for Air Pollution Prevention and Control” for the following five years after. Both of these new policies outline strict guidelines on decreasing emissions and improving air quality in thirteen key regions. Approximately $277 billion dollars will be invested in these plans set out by the Chinese government which is a great first step in tackling this problem (Chen, Wang, Ma & Zhang, 2013). According to Jairath (2007), global health recognizes that all nations are connected. Therefore, this is not only a concern for China, but also for the rest of the world. Since there is an increase trend of urbanization, air pollution will be an immediate problem of which preventative and controlling solutions should be ratified by all nations as China did. The Population Health Promotion Model outlines social determinants of health, of which the physical environment being one of the key building blocks. The biosphere is in critical danger if the air is toxic and causing sickness, or worse: death. With China executing