Topic overview and detailed analysis

Environmental Science

Air is public space. Like any other public space, governments can and should monitor and maintain that space for public safety. As the headline of the AirNow program reads: "Quality of air means quality of life," (1). Similarly, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Lung Association notes that "no one should have to breathe unsafe air," (2). For the same reason law enforcement protects citizens against violent criminals, governmental organizations funded by taxpayer money should protect citizens against harmful pollutants in the air. In short, air is everyone's business and it is hard to imagine a better way to spend taxpayer money.

Any society that cares about the quality of life of its citizens should allow its government to enact legislation that protects clean air and legislation is the only means to enforce clean air guidelines. Cleaning the air is not like cleaning a sidewalk: what one pollutant emits affects the air in remote locations. However, private organizations can take legislation a step farther by enforcing strict no-smoking policies in the workplace. Some office buildings do not permit smoking within a certain radius of the doorways, which helps employees enjoy a safer working environment (3).

Another reason why governments should assume a role in developing air quality control programs is because only large publicly-funded research programs can help determine which pollutants are the most harmful to humans, what measures can be taken to reduce airborne pollutants, and alert the public with public service announcements and air quality reports like the ones issued on the AirNow website. Reports may also be issued by state governments like that of New Jersey on their state Department of Environmental Protection.

Likewise, only governments have the jurisdiction to offer schools educational materials dealing with air quality issues, to prosecute offenders, and to change air quality standards in accordance with the latest science. As a fundamentally public domain, the air belongs to all citizens and governments therefore have the obligation to monitor its safety.

Question

The United States EPA's AirNow program issues an Air Quality Index (AQI) based on the presence of five major pollutants: ground-level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. The AirNow program compiles AQI data daily, issuing warnings on particularly polluted "action days." The AirNow website offers a summary of its results in list or map form. Information about air quality and the AQI is also color-coded to provide the public with non-technical basic knowledge about air quality in their community and potential health effects, if any.

The AirNow map of the United States paints a fairly rosy picture of air quality throughout the United States. Most areas, and especially the highly populated regions of the northeast, rate "good." The regions with "moderate" air quality include the Gulf region, parts of Appalachia, and parts of Southern California.