http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1971259/
This academic article about highway pollutants and motot vehicle exhaust presents a very serious problem that is relevant to my life, as I live only two houses away from a very busy six lane arterial road. This puts me and my neighbors at serious risk for the health problems associated with inhaling ultrafine particulates, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide, all pollutants released from burning fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel. These health problems include repiratory disease, pulmonary disease, and lung cancer.
Even in high school when I lived with my parents in South Ogden we were only a proverbial stones throw from a four lane highway. I think this issue is considered serious by many other Utahans, however I think the people most at risk from these health problems are probably the least educated on this issue. People should be informed about the health risks associated with living near busy roads and ways to mitigate those health risks (such as hepa filters, air tight windows and doors, and air quality sensors). With education in place I think we can begin to see change rippling from the bottom up, people acting locally within their communities, and eventually gathering enough social pressure to enact policy reform.
Even in high school when I lived with my parents in South Ogden we were only a proverbial stones throw from a four lane highway. I think this issue is considered serious by many other Utahans, however I think the people most at risk from these health problems are probably the least educated on this issue. People should be informed about the health risks associated with living near busy roads and ways to mitigate those health risks (such as hepa filters, air tight windows and doors, and air quality sensors). With education in place I think we can begin to see change rippling from the bottom up, people acting locally within their communities, and eventually gathering enough social pressure to enact policy reform.
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