There are a number of problems that plague New York City, like any big city. There is poverty and unemployment, gangs and crime and then, there is air pollution. Air pollution may be the biggest problem facing the city today.
The evidence is clear that New York City needs to do something about the growing problem of air pollution in the five boroughs and in Harlem in particular.Recent studies by the American Lung Association have indicated that New York’s air is just about the worst in the country. Furthermore, the Asthma Initiative, a grassroots organization in Harlem, has taken up the banner of clean air in an effort to reduce the growing number of children in the city with asthma (Misner, 2003).The evidence suggests that air pollution is harming New York residents from the elderly to babies before they are born.
It impacts our health and our finances, by keeping people from being able to work due to illness and by increasing the cost of health care. This essay will demonstrate the depth of the air pollution problem in New York City, the dangers associated with air pollution and the acts that must be taken to improve air quality within New York.First, it is important to understand the depth of the problem. New York City has high ozone levels and high levels of other greenhouse gases caused largely by the burning of fossil fuels.
“Efforts to assess health risks associated with exposure to multiple urban air toxins have been hampered by the lack of exposure data for people living in urban areas” (Kinney, 2002).According to the American Lung Association, the risks are huge and New York City is one of the worst in the nation. “Getting an F means that dirty air threatens the lives of too many of our friends, neighbors and families,” said Louise Vetter, Chief Executive Officer of the American Lung Association of the City of New York.“The State of the Air report shows that more than half of the eight million residents who call New York City home face serious health risks by simply breathing.” (American Lung Association of New York City, 2005) The bottom line is that New York’s air is bad and something must be done about it.
Second, it is important to understand the depth of the problem caused by air pollution. One effect of increased air pollution is an increase in asthma, especially in children.“No one knows exactly what causes asthma but many are convinced air pollution is a big factor, especially small particles emitted from burning diesel fuels and smog from heavy traffic.” (Misner, 2003). And, Harlem children have asthma; as many as one in four may be afflicted with the disease that kills 5,000 Americans each year (Misner, 2003).
“Asthma is a serious public health problem in New York City and disproportionately affects residents of impoverished areas.“ (Crain, 2007)In addition in the winter of 2001 after the collapse of the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks, the air was filled with more particulates including silica and other building materials than could possibly be healthy. “Exposure…might cause skin rashes, eye irritation, and upper respiratory irritation, all of which were reported more frequently than the expected seasonal rate” during the winter after the tower collapse (“Potential Exposure”, 2003).The fact of the matter is the air pollution contributes to poor health every year. “Another study , this one by the Clean Air Task Force, blamed diesel exhaust in New York State -- and the particulate pollution the environmental group said it causes -- with more than 2,300 premature deaths a year in New York State, along with 3,600 heart attacks and 51,000 asthma attacks.Beyond the human suffering, the report continued, this costs money, with the noxious effects of diesel exhaust causing New York State residents to lose a total of 315,000 days of work a year.” (Robinson, 2005).
