■ Affects the diversity of ecosystems.
■ Increases health issues with humans and animals including asthma, lung
cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases, birth defects, and
premature death. Particulate matter pollution is estimated to cause 3
million deaths per year worldwide and up to 50,000 deaths per year in the
United States.Airborne particulate matter can be reduced by:
■ Limiting the use of household and personal products that cause fumes
■ Conserving energy to reduce demands on power plants
■ Not burning leaves and other yard waste
■ Not using wood in fireplaces (gas logs only) and changing building codes
to outlaw future construction of wood-burning fireplaces
■ Increasing air quality standards for emissions of particulate matter from
smokestacks
■ Using public transportation whenever possible
■ Increasing automobile emission standards
■ Taking steps to reduce the incidence of wildfiresVOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCS)
VOCs are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure (easily evaporate)
at ordinary room temperature. Their high vapor pressure results from a low
boiling point, which causes large numbers of molecules to evaporate or
sublimate from the liquid or solid form of the compound and enter the
surrounding air.
VOCs include both human-made and naturally occurring chemical
compounds. Harmful VOCs typically are not acutely toxic, but they have
compounding long-term health effects. Since many people spend much of their
time indoors, long-term exposure to VOCs in the indoor environment can
contribute to “sick building” syndrome.
Health effects include:
■ Eye, nose, and throat irritation
■ Headaches, loss of coordination, and nausea
■ Damage to the liver, kidney, and central nervous system
■ Cancer