Blog #8: China's Air Pollution Linked to Millions Of Early Deaths

The air in china is thick with smog.  Barbara Finamore, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s China program based in Beijing states, “When you get off the airplane, you immediately feel your eyes stinging and your throat rasping.  You can’t even see the building across the street.  It’s a pea soup of pollution.”  Robert O’Keefe says, “1.2 million people are dying to exposure to air pollution. Air pollution is the fourth leading cause of death in China.  People with asthma are more susceptible.  The main cause for the air pollution in China is because of its explosive growth.  Vehicles and power plants are being built and the energy consumption is also rising in China.  The Chinese government are beginning to take the issue more serious.  They have begun monitoring the level of pollution and recognize that the people are demanding cleaner air.

Population in many countries ranges in small to large numbers of people living within their borders.  China has the largest population in the world leading with 1.3 billion people.  With such high populations such as China, many things can contribute to poor health factors.  In their case, over pollution is now becoming a social problem.  The smog is so dense that it is starting to affect the health of the people living in the city of Beijing.  People who have asthma and or other illnesses with respiratory are suffering from the smog.  Other viruses and illnesses are easily contracted from person to person as well through highly populated areas.  High populations can have a negative impact on peoples well-being and overall health.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/04/02/176017887/chinas-air-pollution-linked-to-millions-of-early-deaths 

Jacqueline Wooten
SOC 202-01 4/4/2013 2:55PM