Air Pollution: Causes, Health Impacts, and Policy Solutions

Introduction

Although President Ronald Reagan believed that "trees and plants were the chief causes of air pollution" (Grundmann 141), a growing body of evidence indicates that air pollution is a global public health threat caused by particulate matter discharged through anthropogenic, or manmade, activities (Woodruff and Parker 787). The research to date also indicates that air pollution continues to worsen in many parts of the world as people in emerging economies flock to cities, creating even more pollution in the process.

An important point made by McDougald (1999) is that air can be polluted indoors as well as outdoors. McDougald reports that, "Air pollution is a major worldwide economic and health problem. Some of the causes of air pollution include automobile emissions, industry, fuel combustion for heating, and the burning of solid wastes. Air pollution can occur both outdoors and indoors" (42). In many urban regions, the major sources of air pollution include internal motor vehicle operation, power generation using coal, various industrial processes, and wood burning in fireplaces, especially in regions with colder climates (Hughes 216).

Although all of these sources contribute to air pollution at different levels in different places, transportation and energy generation represent the major sources of the types of air pollution that adversely affect human health at the global level, particularly in densely populated urban settings (Glover 45). Given that the sources of air pollution are known, identifying remedies should therefore be a fairly straightforward matter; however, the global economy remains inextricably dependent on fossil fuels, and any preventive remedies will inevitably involve a subjective cost-benefit analysis as discussed further below.

Philosophical Critique

From both modern and classical Greek philosophical perspectives, identifying remedies to air pollution makes great business sense. On the one hand, the costs involved in formulating effective responses to increasing air pollution levels have consumed an enormous amount of taxpayer dollars (Andrews 2008). In fact, during the period from 1970 to 1990, it is estimated that the country spent around $500 billion controlling air pollution (Andrews 394). On the other hand, Andrews also emphasizes that this was money well spent. According to Andrews, "While these costs are considerable, so are the health and welfare effects that they purchase. EPA has estimated that from 1970 to 1990 about $22.2 trillion in benefits flowed to the nation as a result of the environmental regulation of air pollution" (394). These priorities are congruent with Socrates' observation that, "Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued."

Unfortunately, despite these ambitious efforts, air pollution remains a significant public health threat in many parts of the country, and the studies to date suggest that minorities and low-income families tend to suffer disproportionately from indoor air pollution. In this regard, Tibbetts reports that, "Researchers have gathered increasing evidence that the poor endure a disproportionate share of exposure to air pollutants in the built environment" (671). This trend is also congruent with Socrates' observation that, "If all our misfortunes were laid in one common heap whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be content to take their own and depart." The more affluent, however, are able to depart without taking their fair share of this social burden by living in superior housing and in regions with less air pollution.

Clearly, the economic benefits that have accrued from investments in controlling air pollution have not "trickled down" to the poor, but rather remain concentrated in the private sector where profits can be made from controlling air pollution in government-approved ways. After all, Socrates emphasized that, "Every action has its pleasures and its price." As the date when peak oil occurs — likely around mid-century — alternatives to this continuing dependence on fossil fuel resources will require a Manhattan Project-level investment by the public and private sectors to avoid growing air pollution and its concomitant adverse impacts on human health and climate change. Some recommendations to this end are presented below.

Conclusion

The research showed that air pollution represents a major economic and public health problem globally. The research also showed that the major causes of air pollution include internal combustion vehicle emissions, industrial applications, commercial and residential heating, and the burning of solid wastes. While both outdoor and indoor air pollution are significant problems, indoor air pollution disproportionately affects the poor. Finally, the research showed that preventing air pollution can pay substantial dividends in terms of improved human health as well as economic incentives that can be achieved through federal government sponsorship of initiatives such as solar-powered water heaters for all American taxpayers, with minority-owned enterprises receiving additional federal support.