Sky



Clean Air is Life

We need clean air to breath. Yet how many days a year can we see the mountains from here? It is the junk that’s in the air that keeps the air dirty. Here is another question: If our air is dirty, what are we breathing into our lungs? Is it doing us harm?

Many of the gasses from the tail pipes of our cars are colorless and odorless, some create acids that can decay buildings, some put small particles into the air that we breath. Gasses from cars simply can rob the air of what is most good for us. If you notice there are strong laws to regulate our cars so they don’t cause too much damage to our air. We pay dearly for smog checks!

We live in the San Joaquin Valley, in a bowl that traps the air here, and we share the air with all the towns and cities in this valley. There is a lot to consider when a new factory or business comes to our Valley, we who live in this Valley need to decide if we can live with any new pollution causing business. The Air Pollution Control Districts regulate the amount of pollution that comes out of the factories and every year demand less and less pollution from these businesses.

Each of us can do our part by limiting the junk we put in our air. We do a good job, but we need to ensure everyone lives by the same rules when it comes to protecting the air. Some people just don’t care and we all get hurt.

What ever we burn goes up in the air and we breath it. Some of the things we burn here are:

Tires: Tires are made of both natural and synthetic rubber; chemicals, such as carbon black, oils, and waxes, which are added to strengthen the rubber; and fabric, which may be nylon,polyester, or steel fabric. Each part of a tire requires its own mix of chemicals and rubber. When burned these chemicals released in our air and cause breathing problems, especially with the older adults.

Plastics: Because plastics are solid, they do not normally present health hazards to the user unless they are burned. However, some items used in the manufacture of plastics can cause cancer. Similarly, benzene, which is an important raw material for the synthesis of nylon, causes cancer. Most plastics are not environmentally degradable; unlike wood, paper, natural fibers, or even metal and glass, they do not rot or otherwise break down over time. There is an environmental problem associated with the disposal of plastics.

Recycling has emerged as the most practical method to deal with this problem. There are many other items that are in the trash that when burned mix with the air around us and create Persestent pollutants that don’t break down easily in the environment. They accumulate in body tissues and cause health problems. The smaller the junk in the air the deeper it can be breathed into the lungs and the deeper in the lungs it goes the more problems it can cause.

The bottom line: It is better to take as much trash to the dump as you can. Or recycle it.