What's the connection?
My connection to environmental science is the contributing fact that in urban neighborhoods we receive pollution that effects the children and their development of proper education needs. The poor air quality and pollution greatly affects the attendance rate of the children. This is a problem because this effects our children's educational development opportunities and ceases the child to learn because of missing school from respiratory and asthma related issues. And promptly, this only seems to happen in most urban neighborhoods and areas.
The synchronizing facts of air pollution continue to affect communities of color and has been narrowed down to have the most harmful particles and ingredients exposed only in low income, communities of color, high poverty rates and in non-white neighborhoods. This happens and contributes in urban communities that only consist of color. In white and suburban area's don't receive the same air particles and quality that we receive. The racial and economic differences play a crucial role in the exposures of these harmful and toxic pollution particles. The fact of the matter is that people of color are exposed unequally. As if being exposed wasn't bad enough, we're targeted by our low income communities with high poverty rates and naturally face greater health risks. The air quality is not sustainable to meet federal health standards even when they say they are.
These dangerous fine particles and compounds of ingredients such as nitrates, vanadium and zinc is what we are breathing in causing harm to many people and children. These dangerous particles trigger asthma attacks, irritates lungs, heart attacks and strokes.
These dangerous fine particles and compounds of ingredients such as nitrates, vanadium and zinc is what we are breathing in causing harm to many people and children. These dangerous particles trigger asthma attacks, irritates lungs, heart attacks and strokes.
Where else can we see this issue?This issue is not just in our backyard but also in other states as well for example, Massachusetts also receives these unequal exposures and primarily effects people in working class and of color. The study token place of 368 communities of color and all have linked to a disruption in the social and geographic distribution of ecological hazards. This issue greatly effects people and children. Not only are our children effected but people and children from different states are being effected as well. Which means that they're also losing out on development in their education because of reoccurring problems caused by the hazards toxin particles that are being released and distributed in our air system draining its quality and sustainability as well.
SourcesFaber, Daniel R., and Eric J. Krieg. "Unequal exposure to ecological hazards: environmental injustices in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."Environmental Health Perspectives 110, no. Suppl 2 (2002): 277.http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/unequal-exposures
Asthma Severity among Children with Current Asthma (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/asthma_stats/severity_child.htm "Environmental Justice and Health." International Encyclopedia of Public Health (2008): 373-82. Web. |
Why is this issue a problem?Having these compounds not only harm our children but has an effect on our children's education as well. When our air quality is below standards and children are getting sick, they miss school. School absences led to a destruction not only in education but the development as well. Sickness occurs from these particles which help develop respiratory problems like asthma which leads to asthma attacks and sometimes for the worst, death. How can we educate our children properly if we cannot have a environmentally safe place for these children to learn and adapt properly? The truth is that we cannot. Children are exposed to these toxins everyday and more and more are developing these problems.
This is a graph stating the differences by Hispanic, African American and Asian comparisons by percent differences of exposures in PM 25 chemical component. The results support my research in unequal exposures.
This is graph of percentages of Asthma severity among children with current asthma. Asthma severity is the intensity of the disease process, which means that this issue is only progressing.
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