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Analysis Of A Pertinent Healthcare Issue: Air Pollution
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Air pollution does not only cause climatic changes but is associated with dramatic public health issues. Particularly in urban areas, for example, in the United States, air pollution is elevated due to industries, vehicles, and high population (Boogaard et al., 2019). The effects of air pollution on health include increased cardiovascular and respiratory diseases due to an increase in smoke, dust particles, and chemicals in the air. Therefore air pollution refers to the increase in foreign chemical elements in the atmosphere that, when inhaled by humans, results in health issues such as respiratory diseases, sometimes death or hospitalization. Due to the dramatic effects of polluted air on the public, the World Health Organization and the government recognize air pollution as a global health crisis and the leading factor of global deaths (Boogaard et al., 2019). Therefore, one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals is significantly reducing air pollution by 2030.
In my organization, respiratory diseases such as lung cancer, bronchitis, and stroke are the major causes of increased hospital admissions. One factor is that the facility is found in an urban center; therefore, air pollution contributes to an increased number of patients suffering from such diseases visiting the facility. According to the data collected by the facility, the hospital receives approximately three patients every day with mild to severe symptoms of chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. While some diagnosed cases result from natural causes and drug and substance use, most patients live around or work in industries or factories; thus, their illness is caused by the dangerous chlorofluorocarbons, sulfur, and carbon monoxide in the air.
The data from the organization that I work in indicates that air pollution is a serious healthcare issue among the community population. Thus it requires immediate and long-lasting intervention. Despite their treatment options for approximately all respiratory illnesses, the facility aims to establish a long-lasting prevention measure instead of curing the disease. Preventing the situation will help reduce the healthcare costs resulting from air pollutions. Therefore, the organization has created an environmental body whose role is creating awareness in the community on the importance of conserving the environment. This community-based intervention program will help people understand the causes, effects, and prevention measures for air pollution. The strategy is effective and will significantly help reduce the prevalence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Summary of Articles on the Issue
The first study I selected was a research conducted by Boogaard et al. (2019). The article identifies air pollution as one of the global healthcare issues recognized by civil societies, international institutions, and governments. The article links this to the remarkable growth in scientific research and knowledge regarding exposure to toxic substances in the air. According to Boogaard et al. (2019), the prevalence and occurrence of cardiovascular, respiratory, and lung diseases from exposure to air toxicity significantly reduces life expectancy. The article provides global data on mortality due to air pollution in 2017, in which approximately 4.9 million people died due to air pollution.
The second article is research by Lelieveld et al. (2020) investigating the impact of air pollution on humans’ life expectance compared to other risk factors globally. The article confirms the relationship between air pollution and the occurrence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. According to Lelieveld et al. (2020), long-term exposure to toxic chemicals such as carbon monoxide, especially in urban areas, contributes to increased lung cancer, breathing and heart problems, and respiratory diseases, which lower life expectancy among people. The article also affirms WHO’s statistics that 70% of global deaths result from non-communicable diseases, and air pollution significantly contributes to the percentage. One of the strategies used to combat air pollution is preventing it from chemical emission sources. However, Boogaard et al. (2019) discuss the laws and policies deployed by governments, particularly the United States federal government, to regulate air pollution causes and enhance green environment sustainability. Therefore prevention strategies offer the most effective way of combating the adverse effects of air pollution, especially on the mortality rate.
Strategies Used To Address the Healthcare Issue
The selected articles had several recommendations on various strategies of addressing air pollution’s effects on life expectancy globally. Lelieveld et al. (2020) identify setting operational standards for industries that emit smoke with harmful chemicals as the most effective way of combating increased air pollution in urban centers. Global institutions are also advocating for green energy, which is suggested to replace fuel fossils in production. Burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and diesel results in carbon monoxide production which is harmful to human health (Lelieveld et al., 2020). Gas is the leading cause of air pollution, and it is one of the most common causes of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure.
The United States federal government developed the green air act under the national environmental protection authority, which provides guidance on the level and limits of air population and the number of pollutants allowed in the air. EPA implements this law by ensuring that emitting bodies such as industries, factories, and other manufacturers implement the policy and regulation to attain the goals of a green environment (Boogaard et al., 2019). These steps help combat the adverse impacts of air pollution, especially on the human population in a given geographical area within the borders of the United States. In addition, the policy has helped the government control industrial emissions, thus reducing the number of toxic elements in the air and reducing the prevalence of respiratory diseases in urban centers (Boogaard et al., 2019). Therefore, combating air pollution can significantly improve public health by reducing some diseases.
In conclusion, air pollution is one of the major global healthcare issues affecting organizations. The significant effect of air pollution is on the occurrence and prevalence of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases that limit life expectancy. There are various strategies deployed to prevent air pollution. These strategies have both negative and positive effects on the organization regarding air pollution and patient care. For example, the policies and regulations set by the federal government on combating pollution have significantly helped reduce the dramatic impact of air pollution on health.
References
Boogaard, H., Walker, K., & Cohen, A. J. (2019). Air pollution: the emergence of a significant global health risk factor. International Health, 11(6), 417–421. https://doi.org/10.1093/inthealth/ihz078
Lelieveld, J., Pozzer, A., Pöschl, U., Fnais, M., Haines, A., & Münzel, T. (2020). Loss of life expectancy from air pollution compared to other risk factors: a worldwide perspective. Cardiovascular Research, 116(11). https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvaa025