Housing Department at Murray State University - Assignment Example

Every citizen must ensure they get quality air both indoors and outdoors. it is also the responsibility of the local health departments to greatly maintain and implement global standards that will ensure objectives of air quality are achieved. This department should protect public health. The programs should ensure good ventilation systems at home, school, and public amenities. Poor ventilation is related to Asthma in children. Most people believe this disease might be caused by old buildings, farms, and animal odors. The health department together with the community should unite to address and prevents these issues (Chard & O'Brien, 2003).
When we expose ourselves to poor air quality, we may be at risk to get cancer, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular illness, and premature death. There have been efforts to minimize harmful air pollutants. Most air pollutants are indoor and outdoor are particulate matter, organic chemicals, environmental tobacco, carbon monoxide, and biological agents such as fungi (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012).

1.3 Transportation
Transportation has led to pollution of the environment for centuries. The transportation pollutants are particulate matter, ozone, carbon monoxide, and gasoline. These pollutants cause major health risks such as cancer and reproductive problems also known as birth defects. Air pollutants also cause ecological and environmental effects that lead to global warming. Top researchers say that small particles cause more harm than large particles. Most Governments in different countries are playing a major role in preventing air pollution caused by transportation. There have been discoveries of eco-friendly gasoline and diesel after-treatment exhausts. There is long-term solution such as hydrogen fuel cells and other synthetic fuels (Gorham, 2002).
The ships traveling in the seas near Europe are believed to have released the most sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions to the environment. The emissions rate is expected to rise to around 50% by 2020. This kind of pollution can be managed and controlled though it’s expensive. The introduction of cleaner fuels and the adoption of other energy sources such as electricity and wind power. It has been noted with great concern that emissions from the ship increase at an alarming rate. Emissions from the land are decreasing and by 2020 we will have zero percent land-based pollution.

There are a few technological guidelines that have been put in place to minimize global shipping pollution. These solutions include:
a) Internal engine modifications which will minimize the production of nitrogen oxide. This will be accomplished by the use of water injection and recirculation of exhaust gas
b) Treatment of exhaust gas before they are released to the environment by use of selective catalytic reduction(SCR)
c) Use of liquefied natural gas that does not produce either have sulfur
Use of alternative sources of energy such as biofuels, wind power, fuels cells, and solar power (European Federation for Transport and Environment AISBL, 2011)

1.4 Respiratory diseases
The healthy people 2020 focus is to support and encourage respiratory health by ensuring good treatment, prevention, education, and early detection. The main respiratory diseases are a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. You can easily detect asthma when you experience symptoms such as breath shortness, coughing, wheezing, and tightness of the chest. Other respiratory diseases include lung cancer, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and AIDS.
The topics that need to be addressed to improve respiratory health care are; air quality, knowledge about asthma, respiratory diseases awareness, availability of treatment, and climate change awareness. Since 1980, Asthma awareness has increased and they have been a decrease in deaths related to Asthma. (Respiratory Diseases, 2012). Read More