Pollution around the world has been getting worse over the past few years.  ?Six in 10 Americans, about 175 million people, are living in places where air pollution often reaches dangerous levels (huffingtonpost.com).?  Big cities like Los Angeles and Beijing are the main areas where pollution can be deadly.  Problems in health in these cities are due to pollution.

The type of pollution I am talking about is fine particle pollution.  Fine particle pollution is the
pollution that gets in the air and therefore into our lungs.  Nobody wants to breathe in toxic air,
so why are we letting ourselves do it?  Pollution causes major health problems and can even
lead to death in the bigger cities.  And to think, all of our problems would disappear if humans
could just ride a bike or use a renewable energy source. 

Being healthy is one of the most important things in life.  It’s not okay that the reason
people are getting unhealthy is because of our air quality.  Pollution kills 60,000 Americans per
year.  That is 3% of all deaths (Roleff 27).  It’s not okay that we are letting people die without
trying to improve our disgusting problem.  People are getting sick because of our air too.
Pollution has caused or worsened asthma, especially in children, increased bronchitis patients
in hospitals and reduces lung function.  Also, is has caused upper respiratory system symptoms
such as a runny nose, sore throat, wet cough, head colds, hay fever, and red eyes along with
lower respiratory system symptoms such as wheezing, dry cough, phlegm, shortness of breath
and chest discomfort.  The major health problem caused by pollution and is responsible for
most of the deaths is heart disease (Roleff 27).  Air pollution can also cause rain, lakes, or rivers
to become acidic, this happens when the polluted particles get into earth's natural water
(Epa.gov).

The size of the particles are different and each size can cause different health problems.
10 micrometers or bigger is the least harmful.  They get into your nose and throat but never
make it to the lungs. They can cause a runny nose, sore throats and a cough.  5 micrometers is
more harmful than 10 micrometers but still not the worst.  5 micrometers can get into the top
portions of the lung and the bronchial tubes. This can cause bronchitis.  The smallest and
deadliest particle size is 2.5 micrometers or smaller.  These little guys can get all the way into
the deepest portion of the lung where gas transfers occur.  They can get into the bloodstream
and cause major problems around the body.  If the particles are soluble in water then they get
into the bloodstream, if they are insoluble they can stay in the deepest portion of the lung for
years also causing major health issues. 

A study was done where they talked to 552,138 people is 151 different cities.  The study
was to see the relationship between pollution and health problems, and to see the relationship
between people from different cities.  This study was the most effective study that has ever
been done because it excluded smokers and other unhealthy life style choices in people from
the study.  The study showed that fine particle pollution was the source of the majority of
health problems is people. Also it showed that air pollution is related to a 15% to 17%
difference in death rates between smaller cities and bigger cities. This study proves the correlation between health issues and pollution? ( Roleff 30). 

Humans are in denial about this serious problem. They say to themselves that the air
quality has gotten better in the past years, which is true, but it still isn’t good enough because it
is still causing problems.  They are also telling themselves that they can’t make a difference in
the quality of the air. This statement is very untrue because the truth is that if everyone tries to
make a difference, the air will get significantly better and in the long run get rid of air pollution all together. In a supreme court hearing discussing the solution to pollution, ?Chief Justice John Roberts says "If you ask the coach what significantly contributed to the loss, he's going to talk about the missed layup rather than the missed desperation throw, even though, as far as amount, each was going to count for two points." (huffingtonpost.com). this means we should focus on long term solutions to solve pollution by cutting out things we did in the past to cause pollution other than try to do a quick solution or a “desperation shot.”?  Bike more, take a walk, and use renewable energy such as solar power in your home. If you do so, you will make a
difference in your air so you, and the rest of the world, can breathe healthy.     

Gerken, James. "U.S. Supreme Court Hears Arguments In EPA Air Pollution Case." ? The  Huffington Post ? . TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 18 May 2015. 
 
Silverman, Billy. "Los Angeles Tops Nation In Air Pollution." ?The Huffington Post ? .  TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 18 May 2015. 
 
"Health." ?EPA ? . Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 18 May 2015. 
 
Roleff, Tamara L. ?Pollution: Opposing Viewpoints ? . San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2000. Print.