We need air to live, but one need only look around at the environment to see the effects polluted air can have on such things as buildings, monuments, statues, trees, crops and animals. It reduces how far we can see on hazy days and can even cause problems with air travel.
The good news is that the issue could be much worse. Since 1970, when Congress created the Environment Protection Agency and passed the Clean Air Act, air quality has improved. The Clean Air Act gave the federal government authority to prosecute air polluters. Today, working in conjunction with states, Native American tribes, industries, local governments and environmental groups, the EPA has programs in place that reduce air pollution levels.
Also helping were stringent new laws that penalized irresponsible factory owners. In the 1970s, companies started performing environmental site evaluations to evaluate the cleanups necessary for certain sites used previously for chemical and other toxic waste use or disposal. As court decisions added liability to property owners for cleaning up their sites, use increased, bringing with it bans on creating toxic waste that helped curtail air pollution.
Pollution's Effect on Health
Polluted air can burn the nose and eyes. It can irritate the throat and make breathing difficult, particularly for those with existing lung problems. If airborne particles and ozone levels are too high, they can cause respiratory difficulty for the nearly 30 million adults and children in the United States with asthma and other breathing issues. Those with heart problems and other respiratory diseases also suffer.