Air Quality

“Less is more” can easily describe healthy air quality. The lower the number, the better the air quality. The lighter the color, the healthier the air. The healthiest air quality is the color green and it is labeled ‘Good’.  This AQI ranges from 0 to 50 and can be described as suitable with little or no air pollution. With growing numbers, the next healthy air quality is the color yellow with the label of ‘Moderate’. The range for ‘Moderate’ is 51 to 100 with a description of acceptable and can be uncomfortable to people who are not typically sensitive to the polluted air. The next group in the AQI is the orange group, ‘Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups’. The numbers range from 101 to 150 and can be concerning for people who are sensitive to the air, but it is not a main issue for the healthy population. ‘Unhealthy’ is the next level of AQI and it is colored red. It ranges from 151 to 200 and can be affect everyone experiencing health issues, it no longer affects only the people who have sensitivity to the air. The 5^th level of AQI is ‘Very Unhealthy’ and is now a dark pink color. Its level ranges from 201 to 300 and will affect the entire population and may even lead to emergency situations. The last AQI level is ‘Hazardous’ and is a brownish color. Ranging from 301 to 500, it will lead to everyone experiencing serious health issues. 

http://www.azdeq.gov/AQ

AQI forecasts are provided to people by their state or local areas. Cincinnati, the Cleveland area, Columbus, Dayton, and Youngstown all have their own, individual AQI. At 11:00, Cincinnati’s AQI was 39, which puts the city in the range of ‘Good’. Today and tomorrow’s high forecasts are almost the same ranging from 60 to 65, putting them in the ‘Moderate’ zone. The Cleveland area includes Cleveland, Akron, and Lorain. At 11:00, this area was at 60 putting it in the ‘Moderate’ zone. However, the forecast for today’s high and tomorrows high is in the range of ‘Good’. In Columbus at 11:00, the AQI was at 58. The forecast for both today and tomorrow is in the ‘Good’ zone, ranging from 50 to 46. At 11:00, Dayton was in the ‘Good’ zone and was at the number 32. The high for today and tomorrow are both ‘Moderate’ and range from 53 to 57. Also at 11:00, Youngstown was 55 putting it in the ‘Moderate’ zone. The highs for today and tomorrow are 50 and 46, keeping it in the ‘Good’ zone.

http://www.haleyaldrich.com/services-markets/planning-permitting-compliance/detail/id/129/air-quality

The State Implementation Plan (SIP) are plans that focus on states that do not have healthy air quality or their National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) are not in the proper/ healthy zone. The current standard for Ozone is 0.070 ppm and was created in 2015. PM 2.5 current SIP is 12.0 μg/m3 and was made in 2012. Sulfur Dioxide’s SIP was based in 2015 and is 75 ppb. Nitrogen Dioxide made its standard in 2010 at 100 ppb. In 2008, the standard of lead was changed from 1.5 μg/m3 to .15 μg/m3.

http://www.haleyaldrich.com/services-markets/planning-permitting-compliance/detail/id/129/air-quality

Cell Phone Radiation

What is one thing you can’t live without? If you asked this to basically any teenager or adult today, they would say their cell phone. The first cell phone was made in 1973 by a man named Martin Cooper who worked for Motorola. Little did he know; his invention would become one of the most desirable things in the world. From Apple to Samsung and Verizon to Sprint, you can find multiple different brands and multiple carriers of cell phones.

https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/2015/12/03/cell-phone-radiation-dangerous-or-not/

People love their cell phones, but why? Is it because you can carry it everywhere or because you can look up anything on it? Personally, I love my cell phone because it is a way for me to stay in contact with my friends and family. One thing that I have never thought about is the negative effects a cell phone can have. Everyone knows that you shouldn’t text and drive or text while walking, but what about just having your phone in your pocket or having it next to your head while talking? Cell phone radiation is quickly overlooked because no one really knows the side effects or what it even is.

https://www.uncommonwisdomdaily.com/cell-phone-radiation-could-be-changing-your-brain-20926

Cell phone radiofrequency can be defined as any electromagnetic frequencies (EMF’s) that range from 3 kHz to 300 GHz. Your cell phone gives off these waves even if it’s not in use. The human body will absorb these waves when they are emitted from our cell phones and bounced back to the cell phone towers. The Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) helps us know the amount of waves the device gives off and the amount that is being absorbed into our body. Legally in the United States the levels range from 0.20- 1.60. For example, when talking on the phone with the iPhone 6, the SAR will be around 1.18. With all of the “bells and whistles” (Bluetooth, WIFI) turned on the SAR will be around 1.58, which is only .02 from the maximum legal limit. It is suggested that you talk to someone on the phone with a distance of 5 millimeters from your head to decrease the frequency waves being absorbed.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone-radiation.htm

Some recent studies have suggested that these waves can have harmful effects on our body and specifically our brain. Wherever the phone is placed by the head, your brain uses more glucose. Glucose is a sugar in the body that we use as energy/ fuel. Some studies on animals have been tested and have resulted in death of the animal or brain tumors. Cell phones can possibly cause changes in reaction time, brain activity, both female and male reproductive organs, and sleep patterns. Having the cell phone pressed up against your head is not the only way to possibly express these symptoms. The cell phone can be in the front or back pocket of someone’s pants and still have harmful effects. At high frequencies, the cell phone becomes hot, these devices are not able to heat up body tissue. A microwave or a larger device that gives off high frequencies are capable of heating up the body. However, even with all of the studies out there, scientists have not been able to conclude that cell phones can cause damage to our DNA.

Glyphosate

Glyphosate is a commonly known herbicide which is used to kill unwanted leaves or plants. It is a chemical ingredient in Roundup and other name brand weed killers. However, glyphosate was not always used for killing plants. It was patented in 1964  by Stauffer Chemical as a metal chelator, also known as a binding agent that suppresses chemical activity in metal. It was originally used to clean commercial boilers and pipes. It typically removed minerals such as Calcium, Magnesium, Manganese, and more. Since 1974, glyphosate switched its usage to plants instead of metals. Today, people spray it on their agriculture, lawns, and gardens.

http://naturalsociety.com/glyphosate-california-wines-tested-6795/

In 2014, the number of pounds used in the United States was 249,906,307 pounds. The number of pounds used has greatly increased since the start of glyphosate in the United States. The United States uses almost the same amount of glyphosate on their crops as the whole entire world. It is used in more than 90 countries in the world. The world uses about 250,000,000 pounds.

Glyphosate can be found in Roundup, Touchdown, Rodeo and other pesticides. The United States uses glyphosate on many food, non-food crops, and areas heavily laid with unwanted plants. It is most commonly used in pastures, fields, lawns, turfs, greenhouses, and more. However, with the large number of chemicals being used, the number of potential risks also increases.

http://www.wiglafjournal.com/pricing/2012/06/monsanto-the-global-glyphosate-market-case-study/

Health risks have been brought to the awareness by the WHO, the EPA, and the CDC. This herbicide can cause fires or large explosions. The toxic chemical can be combustible and give off fine particles that cause these fire or explosions. To prevent either of these disasters, people are suggested to prevent dispersion's of the small particles, by keeping them close to the intended source. The herbicide can be inhaled, ingested, rubbed into the eyes, or put on the skin. Symptoms that come from the inhalation, ingestion, rubbing into the eyes, and skin irritation include coughing, burning feeling in the throat or chest, and redness of the eyes and skin. To prevent any of these symptoms, the user should wear gloves, googles and/ or a face mask. Obviously, the users should avoid drinking or eating glyphosate.

Not only has this chemical effected the human body, but also the environment. Run-off is a large issue with these types if chemicals. The chemical is sprayed onto the plants and then the rain or any kind of liquid that is poured onto the plant will cause run-off. The run-off will typically go into unwanted areas. For example, the water that is now contaminated with the chemical, can run-off into bodies of water, other plants that originally did not have the chemical, or it can go into the street. Run-off can be extremely hazardous because the chemical cannot be seen and is now contaminating a new source that did not have the chemical before, and was never supposed to have it.                                           

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150422-glyphosate-roundup-herbicide-weeds/

Genetically modified organisms (GMO's) are being found more in today’s environment than any other time period. A GMO is an organism that has been modified for a specific reason. Roundup Ready crops are classified as GMO’s that are resistant to Roundup. They were developed in 1996 and were initially genetically modified soybeans that were resistant to Roundup. Roundup Ready crops has developed since then by adding more crops to the GMO list.