Pollution

A lobbyist group made up of mothers and doctors is suing Kennecott Utah Copper over mining dust pollution that they claim violates the United States Clean Air Act. The group is blaming the company, which mines one of the largest pits in the world, of contributing up to one-third of Salt Lake County's pollution.

The company responded to the claims by saying the accusations are without merit, according to the Huffington Post.

"Kennecott has and continues to operate within the parameters of its air permits and is consistently in compliance with U.S. EPA and Utah Division of Air Quality regulations, which are based on strict standards for protecting human health," the company said.

Utah's chief air regulator did acknowledge that the company has been violating a 1994 Environmental and Protection Act law that limited the company to hauling only 150 million tons of ore a year. However, the state has allowed Kennecott to mine as much as 260 million tons most recently.

Medical-grade air purifiers may assist in keeping indoor spaces free of the pollutants named in the suit.

Two studies in the past year, one in the United States, the other in Germany, found evidence that suggests high rates of tiny-particle air pollution may be linked to rising rates of diabetes.

Some doctors believe the evidence points to a rise in "the exploding pandemic, if you will, of type 2 diabetes, particularly in urbanized areas around the world," Sanjay Rajagopalan of the Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, told USNews.

In the study, the mice living in an environment with clean, filtered air remained healthy. In contrast, those that experienced real world air suffered insulin resistance and were more likely to develop belly fat and other classic prediabetic symptoms. Other metabolic diseases were also found in high quantities in subjects who were treated with "city" air.

Air pollution is consistently being found to have potential negative effects on the health of both humans and animals. Long-term exposure to particles over time may increase a person's chance of developing the disease. Investing in medical-grade air purifiers may help remove these pollutants from the home.

Levels of soot and debris have Clovis and Fresno's air quality over twice the federal health limit. The unusual weather and high levels of pollution production are combining to create a dark haze of nasty pollution.

"We would love to have clear, healthy air and allow people to choose when they want to burn," said district spokeswoman Jaime Holt. "But we have a soup of pollution out there."

Homes in the area may wish to invest in medical-grade air purifiers to assist in protecting them from inhaling the poor-quality air. The elderly, children and those with respiratory issues are especially impacted. At times, the pollution has reached unhealthy levels for adults as well.

Despite daily no-burn order from authorities, people are still lighting fires in order to keep warm during the winter season. This, combined with diesel exhaust and chemical droplets, is creating a dark cloud of pollution across the valley.

By investing in home air purifiers, people may be better able to avoid inhaling such high levels of toxins during all hours of the day.

Clean air laws have always been a battle between those who believe that healthy air is the most important direction we can take, and those who worry that the costs of implementing these changes would be more than the economy and taxpayers could handle.

Clean air advocates have had cause to celebrate in recent months, as the Environmental Protection Agency's improved emission standards won them a significant victory in the fight against air pollution. The new guidelines, which are supposed to significantly improve the air and the quality of life throughout the country, focus largely on the few remaining factories that have been running unrestricted for decades, spewing toxins into the air with no filters.

Still, the battle for clean air is still being fought, as this victory has managed to distract the heavy loss from earlier in the year when new smog control laws for heavily polluted areas were rejected.

As the government plays back and forth on which pollutants to limit and which to allow to continue, you can keep your home safe from the danger these toxins may cause by investing in a medical-grade air purifier.

Air pollution levels off the coast of Louisiana reached levels typically only seen in large cities in the wake of the 2010 BP oil spill, according to a new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Researchers tested air-borne zone and particulate matter, which are proven to have direct effects on human health, and found that about 8 percent of every 13 spilled barrels made it to the ocean's surface and evaporated into airborne particles small enough to be inhaled.

"It was like having a large city's worth of pollution appear out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico," said Daniel Murphy, a NOAA scientist and co-author of the report.

As a result, there were increased levels of respiratory problems across the gulf region. Homeowners may wish to consider investing in a IQAir HealthPro Plus air purifier to ward off prolonged exposure to toxins such as these.

The report states that as the oil evaporated, it put 10 times more organic particles in the air than the burning did, and that areas as far as 50 miles inland suffered from the degraded air quality. The BP Deepwater Horizon spill may have lasting health and ecological effects.

The Clark Country Department of Air Quality and Environmental Management (DAQEM) in Nevada is issuing an air quality advisory from December 31 through January 1.

The DAQEM believes that smoke caused from New Year's fireworks, combined with weather conditions, may create a potential problem by worsening respiratory diseases. Homes in the area with children or adults who suffer from chronic asthma or respiratory illness may wish to consider investing in medical-grade air purifiers to filter out average or unusual levels of irritants.

The predicted cold weather and lack of wind may cause smoke and dust from fireworks to remain at a low elevation, according to the DAQEM. These conditions could allow traditional celebratory events to produce unhealthy levels of smoke that will not dissipate at the usual rate. Using air purifiers and staying inside should provide the necessary safety precautions to prevent smoke levels from creating havoc with respiratory functions for those afflicted with asthma or bronchitis.

Children and the elderly are especially susceptible to the negative effects of exposure to smoke, and should remain inside.

Much of the coverage concerning air pollution in America these past few weeks has focused on the controversial new EPA regulations concerning coal-burning power plants, but there have been more local efforts to clean the air as well.

Updated in 2010, the new emission-reducing regulations required by the California Air Resources Board are slated to go into effect on January 1st, 2012. These restrictions, which are aimed at diesel-producing trucking companies, are being attacked with renewed vigor as the deadline approaches.

Due to pressure from worried business owners, who cite the expense of such a change as a concern, the CARB has allowed for some leeway in the rule, causing mixed responses from the public. California is notoriously poor when it comes to air pollution, and proponents of these restrictions may see this backing off as a sign that nothing has changed.

Still, the diesel particle emissions can be something of a health hazard, regardless of tightening restrictions. Consider investing in a medical-grade air purifier to help keep the air in your home healthy and clean.

Winter dust storms located on the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado have sharply risen, and out of the 65 dust storm events that have occurred since 2003, 32 have happened in the last three years, according to the Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies.

These dust storms reduce air quality, which may have an adverse effect on an individual's health if he does not spend time in an indoor facility equipped with a professional-grade air purifier.

The dust in these regions carry a distinct iron oxide-heavy chemical signature, according to The New York Times. For those monitoring regional air quality, the increase in dust storms and the alarmingly high rates of asthma may suggest a link. A 2010 indicator report by the Utah Department of Health states that areas identified as frequently affected by dust storms experienced pronounced levels of asthma that exceeded statewide averages.

The survey reported that 13.6 percent of adult residents in these rural areas suffer from asthma in comparison to the 7.5 percent nationally, reports The New York Times. Homes equipped with an IQAir® HealthPro Plus air purifier could experience reduced levels of asthma attacks by eliminating air pollutants.

A recent study found more than 400 chemicals ranging from pesticides to phthalates inside household air in Arizona homes. Researchers placed air-collecting devices in 52 homes in Arizona along the Mexican border for 30 days, according to Environmental Health News. Using chromatography and mass spectrometry, they were able to identify 400 individual chemicals.

However, 586 chemicals were cataloged, leaving scientists unable to identify at least 120 of the chemicals, the source reports. A high-end home air purifier could assist in removing toxins inside the home.

Amongst the identified chemicals, there were 27 different organochlorine pesticides detected. P,p’-DDE is a breakdown of the now banned pesticide DDT and was detected in more than 90 percent of homes, according to the source.

While the majority of the unidentifiable chemicals were similar to fragrance compounds, many of the identifiable elements are considered to be a risk to human health with long-term exposure. The high concentrations of banned pesticides and other organic compounds has helped bring upon the realization that average home air quality may often be worse than its outside counterpart if a home air purifier is not used.

In Utah, a variety of groups have introduced a lawsuit against Kennecott Utah Copper Mine, claiming that the company had knowingly broken laws outlined in the Clean Air Act in regards to their air pollution.

The filers of the suit, including a society of physicians, claim that the mine is responsible for nearly a third of the air pollution in the Salt Lake area. In 1994, the mine agreed to laws that were enacted to keep production under 150.5 tons a year. This regulation was enforced to minimize the dust thrown into the air from mining, as well as reduce emissions from the heavy mining machinery and transportation vehicles.

While the mine has received permission from the state to increase production drastically, the suit claims that these production increases were never cleared on a federal level, or with the EPA, and that the mine has broken clean air restrictions as a result. The groups filing the suit hope to see a reduction to safe production levels, and monetary awards to be used for cleaning the air and environmental safeguards.

While the lawsuit is decided, the air remains polluted. If you worry about the effect of constant air pollution on you and your family, invest in a medical-grade air purifier to filter out toxins and keep the air in your home healthy.