Question

I need help to conduct research on the following: Air pollution In Texas, US.

Which populations are affected by the public health issue you have selected? Describe the demographics of this population in detail. How old are they? Where do they live? What is their health like currently? What do we already know about the population you have identified? Where are our gaps in knowledge? What are some of the possible solutions to the issue you have identified, and how would these solutions influence public health overall?

Can you help me answer these questions in 2-3 pages?

Answer 1

The air pollution in Texas has become a greater concern in the past few years and the city that tops the list in terms of air pollution in Texas is Houston. Indeed, it is considered to be one of the most polluted cities in US with the air index going low with consecutive years. In case of ozone, it is deemed to be one of the most polluted cities. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency has considered it to be a major issue through annual air analysis and is one of the main causes of lung and heart problems. Due to the increase concentration of particulate matter in the environment, it tends to deeply penetrate into the lungs of the tissue and has caused a lot of respiratory and cardiovascular problems.

Nearly, 200,000 pre-mature deaths are considered to be caused due to the increase in the air pollution over the past few years. The combustion emission in itself is creating a major havoc and has impacted around 19 million adults and around 6.1 million children. It is found that in Texas the black population and the population from median household are largely impacted by the increasing pollution. It is because of their mode of movement, their type of income source and their lifestyle which negatively impacts them through the air pollution. The non-white population is majorly impacted as there is higher concentration of emission of nitrous oxide which causes respiratory and lung problems in them.

In terms of demographics, the most affected individuals are those who have pre-existing heart and respiratory problems. The older adults are more prone to such air pollution as they have weakened resistance and immunity to fight against the growing pollution. The children are also at risk of developing air pollution based disease and respiratory problems. Due to this many children are prone to asthma and respiratory problems. It is found that due to the increase in the air pollution there has been a lot of pre-mature death and even infants below 28 days are affected by the pollution.

The neighborhood in which an individual live also plays a major role when it comes to determining how the air pollution affects them. Each of the neighborhood is different from one another and those neighborhoods which has high rate of emission tend to be most affected. Generally those neighborhoods which accommodate minority groups and have facilities or industries that emit toxic mater are more affected. The industrial areas in different parts of Texas are majorly affected as the air around those areas are high contaminated and polluted. In areas that have huge network of petrochemical facilities, car dependent movement, big highways etc. can lead to adverse impact.

The health of most of the people who lives in such neighborhoods are seen to be suffering from certain respiratory and cardiovascular problem. The functioning capacity of the lungs have decreased due to constant exposure to such air pollution. However, with some possible solution, the problems can still be rectified and air pollution can be brought into control. The emission from vehicles and industries need to be controlled in such areas as it will help in bringing healthy air. It is important to use public transport more rather than increasing the journey using own vehicle as it can reduce the emission. It is important that every industry used a plant or filtered system so that they don’t release toxic particulate in the air. The use of stove and fireplace must be completely avoided.