Air Pollution
Air pollution deaths in the US
Many people know, air pollution is one of the leading causes of deaths around the world and affects every single person. Still, most people around the US don't worry about air pollution as it doesn't seem to be a big problem for developed countries.
That is most definitely not the case as there are many states in the US that are greatly affected by air pollution, including NJ. New Jersey is one of the top 8 in Air pollution deaths within a certain population. This means that there is an increase in deaths as there is close to 3000 deaths that are occurring in NJ because of bad air quality.
Percent of Americans Breathing Unhealthy Air
Everyday, millions upon millions of Americans are being exposed to large amounts of unhealthy air. The concerning part about this statistic is that the amount of Americans breathing unhealthy air is constantly rising at a huge rate with millions of different Americans being exposed to this every year.
40% or 4 in 10 Americans live in areas which have bad air quality. with NJ being one of the top states. With more urbanization and development occurring, there is less farmland and vegetation, resulting in a substantial increase in carbon dioxide in the air.
Fossil Fuel Usage Around The World
Fossil Fuels are a big component of the pollution that is occurring worldwide as it has become a backbone to how humans live. Fossil fuels produce a lot of carbon dioxide when it is burned. This is detrimental to the environment as fossil fuels equate to about 3/4 of carbon emissions.
The average person in the US emits 500% more Carbon than the Global Average.
Airborne Cancer
Toxic Release Index Score
Toxic Release Index Score
USnews.com states that the airborne cancer risk is the probability of contracting cancer over the course of a lifetime based on air toxics health risks; per 1M population.
Hunterdon county has an airborne cancer risk of 29.95, which is 4 more the US average, 25.92 (In terms of probability). This is really bad for the citizens of Hunterdon County as it is leading to more cancer patients and deaths across the county.
Toxic Release Index Score
Toxic Release Index Score
Toxic Release Index Score
The Toxic Release Index Score is the "Relative health risk from exposure to toxic chemicals".
While the US as a whole has a good rate of .04 and NJ has a higher rate of 0.47 (in terms of probability), Hunterdon County has a score of 1.59, almost 40 times the score of the national average and almost 3.5 times the score of the state average.
According to the Better Health Channel from the government of Victoria, Australia, exposure to toxic chemicals could lead to:
- poisoning nausea
- vomiting
- chemical burns
- birth defects
- disorders of the lung, kidney or liver
- nervous system disorders
- etc.
Deforestation
According to GreenGeeks, "The United States loses 36 million trees every year in urban and rural cities".
Trees are very important for our environment as it can reduce temperatures, absorb carbon, absorb excess water, block noise, and support wildlife. Removing trees from different areas is really unhealthy for the environment as there is a smaller intake of carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that plants input into their system. The output is oxygen, which is beneficial for humans. With less vegetation such as trees and plants, there is more carbon dioxide in the air, resulting in increased global temperatures in all habitats and ecosystems.
Trees and plants are not only crucial to decreasing air pollution but are also a very important habitat that many species of animals live in. With humans cutting down millions upon millions of trees every year, many animals are forced to run and relocate. This leads to the extinction of many species and the loss of biodiversity.
Drinking Water Violation
The drinking water violation rate is 0.05 ppm in Hunterdon county, leading to very unhealthy water that could be contaminated. This is a huge deal as most of NJ is at 0.01 ppm while we are at a whopping 0.05 ppm. This is on the brink of a violation of the EPA standards as the maximum drinking water rate (0.05 ppm). This is also above the US as the median in the US is around 0.03 ppm.
Further accentuating this point, the graph above shows the percentage of population served by community water systems with a serious drinking water violation in the past year. While the US has been declining and getting closer to 0%, NJ has been increasing to nearly 10%.
Water is a main part of our daily lives as we cannot function without water. Conserving water is a priority as there are many people that don't have access to safe drinking water, which can hinder the ability to create a sustainable living that can be preserved for future generations.