Air Pollution in Los Angeles, CA Research Paper

Air Pollution in Los Angeles, CA - Research Paper Example Beginning back in the 1960s, the United States began drafting multiple versions of legislation designed to clean up the area. The intent of these policies was to strengthen existing legislation governing air pollution through the industrialized world, particularly in the United States and in Europe. Commonly referred to as the Clean Air Act, there were limits placed on certain groups of air pollutants, and cities were required to report particulate levels and to state what the were doing to enforce the policies set forth in the legislation. Naturally, Los Angeles is a primary target of the Clean Air Acts. This paper aims to discuss current policies being implemented in the Los Angeles area, look at the long term impacts of air pollution if current curbing measure to not work, and the effect that air pollution has on the minority communities around Los Angeles. Current Public Policies Current policies in place in America overall seem to be having a positive affect. Over the course of the past four decades, levels of carbon monoxide emissions have been reduce by nearly 100 million tons. Nitrogen oxide emission have fallen about 8 million tons, while emissions from sulfur dioxides have been reduced about in half. In general, the United States has seen particulate emissions fall by more than 80% and lead emission by more than 98% (Jerrett and Calle 731). While these figures represent a significant improvement, they do not tell the complete story. Pollution in Los Angeles still remains a serious problem. Certain areas are more polluted that young children and the elderly can handle, leading to countless health issues and even death. The government of Los Angeles County is still seeking ways to reduce pollution across communities for the benefit of all people. For decades, Los Angeles has had some of the, if not the most, polluted air in the country. Los Angeles has the most polluted ozone and the fourth most polluted year-round particulate levels (Su & Jerrett 662). Many attribute the problem to the dense population in the city and its notorious traffic congestion. As such, most legislative policies aimed at reducing air pollution have been aimed at reducing traffic related issues. This has not paid dividends, which is one of the contributing factors behind Los Angeles lagging behind other cities its size in reducing the level of toxic chemicals in the air (Linn & Szlachcic 429). The public, and indeed the government, see the problem of air pollution as being the most serious environmental issue facing the city (Kunzli & Jerrett 202). While the Environmental Protection Agency, an arm of the federal government, has proposed even stricter regulations on air pollution levels and companies that pollute, subsequent presidential administrations have been hesitant to ask out of risk of the adverse economic impact that might result. They also point out the reality that there has been a decrease in the amount of air pollutants in recent decades, yet th is is not enough in the eyes of many. Many experts in the field contend that the improvements have only taken the problem from ‘dangerously high’ to ‘dangerous’

Measuring energy balance Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Measuring energy balance - Coursework Example According to Elia & Ritz, (2000), thermodynamic laws elucidate why energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but can be transformed from one state to another. Potential energy that is stored in foods in the form of calories is converted to either heat, work or storage (Dulloo et al., 2012). When the body is at rest, metabolism lingers, and there is amount of calories prerequisite to perform this. This is the basal metabolic rate. (BMR) (Westerterp et al., 2002) An analysis of the energy balance is vital in the performance of body cells. When the amount of energy that is used in body activities is less than what is taken in, physiological processes like metabolism, hormonal balance is declined. Also, testosterone echelons and reduction in different types on hormones and physical performance is affected. Thus, the analysis enables us know the amount of energy required to perform different body functions and to solve problems of energy imbalances. Douglas bags system was used to measure the energy balance. The bags are inflatable large and airtight and are mainly used to collect air expelled in the determination of consumption of oxygen and the basal metabolic rate (Schrauwen, Lichtenbelt & Westerterp, 1997). The procedure was performed under two different tasks which were; when one laid down in resting the position for five minutes and also during cycling for three minutes. This was to get different values of energy expenditures. After the air had been collected using Douglas Bags, an apparatus called Servomex was then used. Its purpose was to analyse air volume as well as its composition to give a percentage of oxygen expired during the test and also the percentage of carbon (IV) oxide expired. Lastly, the Douglas Bags were then attached to the Dry Gas Meter majorly to measure the volume of air that was contained in the Bags. After connection, the readings were taken as well as the temperature of the expired air. The second method