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Analysis of the Air pollution in the State of Maine
Typology: Summaries
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Because of Maine’s location and west-to-east winds, the state gets the nickname as the tailpipe of the nation. The fires from Canada and California, and the pollution from coal power plants in the Midwest blow in the Maine direction. The public hearings on smog control are the great interest to some in Maine. In some sources, Maine was declared as a state that generally has some of the cleanest air in the country, though Penobscot County ranked highest overall in terms of all three metrics the study looked at, which include short-term and year-round particle pollution and ozone (Solomon, 2022). However, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention (Maine CDC), Maine has the highest rates of asthma in the U.S. (Prevention, 2023). Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and second only to cancer as the leading cause of death in Maine (Arquilla, 2024). The low birth weights reported from several countries on the adverse consequences of ambient air pollution on fetal/birth outcomes, including pre-term birth and fetal growth restriction (Mainpublichealth, 2024). Ozone (O 3 ), a gas at ambient conditions, is considered either “good” or “bad” depending on its location in the atmosphere. “Good” ozone is found in the stratosphere approximately 10 to 30 miles above the earth's surface in a layer where the presence of ozone serves to protect the earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. Ground- level ozone has detrimental effects both on human health and on vegetation and is therefore considered “bad” ozone. Ozone is not usually emitted from sources as a pollutant directly into the air. At ground level, ozone is formed by a reaction between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the presence of sunlight. Sunlight and hot weather facilitate ground-level ozone formation in potentially harmful concentrations; as a result, ozone is known as a summertime air pollutant. Under the authority of the Clean Air Act, the EPA has
set protective health-based standards for ozone in the ambient air to protect both public health and public welfare (e.g., crops and vegetation) (Protection, 2024) There are debates about how the nation should update the standards for smog pollution, otherwise known as ground-level ozone. On the one side, the oil industry leaders argue that the new proposed limits are expensive and say the current ozone standard (of 75 parts per billion) is already working. But the law requires that these standards be set based on science, at what levels of air pollution harm health. This is why the Environmental Protection Agency is delaying new ozone pollution standards until after the 2024 election. On the other side the local business and climate leaders, advocates from ReVision Energy, Maine Public Health Association, Natural Resources Council of Maine, Conservation Law Foundation, and the Center for an Ecology- Based Economy held a press conference at ReVision Energy’s facility urging the Maine Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) to vote to adopt the Advanced Clean Cars || (ACC ||) at March 20 th^ board meeting (Maine, 2024). So instead of fixing the problem of the system of air filtration on the industry side, which decreased the total income of rich people who owned this business, our business elite pushed a new law (electric cars law, ACC ||), to make more and more money no matter what. They do not care that Maine's harsh winters and storms quite often leave most of the population without power. This means no fuel for electric cars. This automatically leads to accidents on the roads and no transportation for emergencies. This will lower incredibly the quality level of life for the low and middle class. The more trees are cut for solar panels. Next to big cities and now starts near small cities too, there are no more pines. The big acreage is covered with solar panels. The nation is losing the land that may feed the people. The solar panels after a certain time (about 10 years or earlier) need to be replaced and the old parts pollute our planet.
https://www.nrcm.org/news/strong-support-clean-cars-rule-cutting-air-pollution/ Mainpublichealth. (2024, April 3). Environment. Retrieved from Main Tracking Network: https://data.mainepublichealth.gov/tracking/home Prevention, C. f. (2023, May 10). Most Recent National Asthma Data. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/most_recent_national_asthma_data.htm Protection, M. D. (2024, April 3). Annual Air Monitoring Plan 2024. Retrieved from Maine.gov: https://www.maine.gov/dep/air/monitoring/docs/2024%20Maine%20Annual%20Plan %2020230925.pdf Solomon, J. (2022, April 10). New Report: Maine Named One of the Cleanest States in New Lung Association Report, Despite an Increase of Particle Pollution. Retrieved from American Lung Association: https://www.lung.org/media/press-releases/sota-maine-