Clearing the Air

Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309064961
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 457

Book Description
Since about 1980, asthma prevalence and asthma-related hospitalizations and deaths have increased substantially, especially among children. Of particular concern is the high mortality rate among African Americans with asthma. Recent studies have suggested that indoor exposuresâ€"to dust mites, cockroaches, mold, pet dander, tobacco smoke, and other biological and chemical pollutantsâ€"may influence the disease course of asthma. To ensure an appropriate response, public health and education officials have sought a science-based assessment of asthma and its relationship to indoor air exposures. Clearing the Air meets this need. This book examines how indoor pollutants contribute to asthmaâ€"its causation, prevalence, triggering, and severity. The committee discusses asthma among the general population and in sensitive subpopulations including children, low-income individuals, and urban residents. Based on the most current findings, the book also evaluates the scientific basis for mitigating the effects of indoor air pollutants implicated in asthma. The committee identifies priorities for public health policy, public education outreach, preventive intervention, and further research.

Clearing the Air

Author: Indur M. Goklany
Publisher: Cato Institute
ISBN: 9781882577835
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 214

Book Description
America's air quality is better today than ever before in modern history and continues to steadily improve. How did this remarkable turnaround come about? Basing his conclusions on a painstaking compilation of long-term empirical data on air quality and emissions data extending from the pre- federalization era to the present (some dating back a century), Goklany challenges the orthodoxy that credits federal regulation for improving air quality. He shows that the air had been getting cleaner prior to—and probably would have continued to improve regardless of—federalization. States and localities, after all, have always been engaged in a race to improve the quality of life, which means different things at different stages of economic development. Goklany’s empirical data refute once and for all the race-to-the-bottom rationale for centralized federal regulation. Moreover, technological advances and consumer preferences continue to play important roles in improving air quality. Goklany accordingly offers a regulatory reform agenda that would improve upon the economic efficiency and environmental sensitivity of air quality regulation.

Let's Clear the Air

Author:
Publisher: Lobster Press
ISBN: 9781897073667
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 196

Book Description
(ages 9 - 12) This collection of stories and interviews is the result of a simple question: "Why won't you start smoking?" Readers won't feel like they are being preached to, because the anti-tobacco message is being delivered by kids just like them. The stories, based on life experiences and observations, are diverse, personal, and smart – sometimes painful, sometimes funny. The ten reasons include the poor health of parents who smoke, addiction, self-image, the environment, and relationships. Our young contributors also bring up issues that kids might not consider, such as how cigarettes affect one's personal appearance, athletic performance, and bank account. The media's portrayal of smoking and the unscrupulous marketing tactics used by tobacco companies are also discussed. The stories are complemented by edgy illustrations, examples of anti-tobacco activism, quotes from nonsmoking celebrities, a foreword by Christy Turlington, important health facts, "instant history facts," and other sidebars which present the ugly truth about cigarettes.

Lessons from the Clean Air Act

Author: Ann Carlson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108421520
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 263

Book Description
Examines the successes and failures of the Clean Air Act in order to lay a foundation for future energy policy.

Learning from SARS

Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309182158
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 376

Book Description
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in late 2002 and 2003 challenged the global public health community to confront a novel epidemic that spread rapidly from its origins in southern China until it had reached more than 25 other countries within a matter of months. In addition to the number of patients infected with the SARS virus, the disease had profound economic and political repercussions in many of the affected regions. Recent reports of isolated new SARS cases and a fear that the disease could reemerge and spread have put public health officials on high alert for any indications of possible new outbreaks. This report examines the response to SARS by public health systems in individual countries, the biology of the SARS coronavirus and related coronaviruses in animals, the economic and political fallout of the SARS epidemic, quarantine law and other public health measures that apply to combating infectious diseases, and the role of international organizations and scientific cooperation in halting the spread of SARS. The report provides an illuminating survey of findings from the epidemic, along with an assessment of what might be needed in order to contain any future outbreaks of SARS or other emerging infections.

Clean Coal/Dirty Air

Author: Bruce Ackerman
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300158092
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 205

Book Description
A path-breaking effort in constitutional theory which brings a new clarity to the interpretation of the Fifth Amendment's just compensation clause. Essential reading for lawyers concerned with environmental regulation or the general development of constitutional doctrine.

Revelations in Air

Author: Jude Stewart
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0143135996
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 321

Book Description
An extraordinary, strange, and startlingly beautiful exploration of smell, the least understood of our five senses The nose on your face is the Buckingham Palace Guard of your body, the maitre d' of all taste, as well as the seducer of your imagination, and memory—and Jude Stewart has charmed them all into a wicked, poetic and illuminating tour of their mysterious domains. —Jack Hitt, author of Bunch of Amateurs Overlapping with taste yet larger in scope, smell is the sense that comes closest to pure perception. Smell can collapse space and time, unlocking memories and transporting us to worlds both new and familiar. Yet as clearly as each of us can recognize different smells--the bright tang of citrus, freshly sharpened pencils, parched earth after rain--few of us understand how and why we smell. In Revelations in Air, Jude Stewart takes us on a fascinating journey into the weird and wonderful world of smell. Beginning with lessons on the incredible biology and history of how our noses work, Stewart teaches us how to use our noses like experts. Once we're properly equipped and ready to sniff, Stewart explores a range of smells—from lavender, cut grass and hot chocolate to cannabis and old books—using smell as a lens into art, history, science, and more. With an engaging colorful design and exercises for readers to refine their own skills, Revelations in Air goes beyond science or history or chemistry--it's a doorway into the surprising, pleasurable, and unfamiliar landscape of smell.

Jump

Author: Larry Miller
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062999834
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 225

Book Description
One of the most successful Black businessmen in the country, who has led Nike’s Jordan Brand from a $200M sneaker company to a $4B global apparel juggernaut, tells the remarkable story of his rise from gangland violence to the pinnacles of international business. Jump tells Larry Miller’s journey from the violent streets of West Philly in the 1960s to the highest echelons of American sports and industry. Miller wound up in jail more than once, especially as a teenager. But he immersed himself in the educational opportunities, eventually took advantage of a Pennsylvania state education-release program offered to incarcerated people, and was able to graduate with honors from Temple University. When revealing his gangland past caused him to lose his first major job opportunity, Miller vowed to keep it a secret. He climbed the corporate ladder with a number of companies such as Kraft Foods, Campbell’s Soup, and Jantzen, until Nike hired him to run its domestic apparel operations. Around the time of Michael Jordan’s basketball retirement, Nike Chairman Phil Knight made Larry Miller president of the newly formed Jordan Brand. In 2007 Paul Allen convinced Miller to jump to the NBA to become president of the Portland Trailblazers, one of the first African-Americans to lead a professional sports team, before returning to Jordan Brand in 2012. All along, Miller lived two lives: the secret of his violent past haunted him, invading his days with migraines and his sleep with nightmares of getting hauled back to jail. More than a rags-to-riches story, Jump is also a passionate appeal for criminal justice reform and expanded educational opportunities for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people across the United States. Drawing on his powerful personal story, as well as his vast and well-connected network, Miller plans to use Jump as a launching point to help expand such opportunities and to provide an aspirational journey for those who need hope.

How Plants Clean the Air

Author: Ellen Lawrence
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780982475928
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
Trees and other plants make our world look beautiful, but did you know that plants use their leaves to help keep the air clean and safe for us to breathe? This book takes readers step-by-step through a clear, grade-appropriate explanation of how plants remove carbon dioxide from the air during photosynthesis. Readers will also learn how plants can even remove harmful chemicals from the air in our homes. Filled with information perfectly suited to the abilities and interests of an early elementary audience, this colorful, fact-filled title gives readers a chance not only to learn, but also to develop their powers of observation and critical thinking. From beautiful photographs to high-interest facts, this book makes learning about the amazing air-cleaning properties of plants, a lively and engaging experience.

An Interactive History of the Clean Air Act

Author: Jonathan Davidson
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0124160352
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 162

Book Description
The Clean Air Act of 1970 set out for the United States a basic, yet ambitious, objective to reduce pollution to levels that protect health and welfare. The Act set out state and federal regulations to limit emissions and the Environmental Protection Agency was established to help enforce the regulations. The Act has since had several amendments, notably in 1977 and 1990, and has successfully helped to increase air quality. This book reviews the history of the Clean Air Act of 1970 including the political, business, and scientific elements that went into establishing the Act, emphasizing the importance that scientific evidence played in shaping policy. The analysis then extends to examine the effects of the Act over the past forty years including the Environmental Protection Agency's evolving role and the role of states and industry in shaping and implementing policy. Finally, the book offers best practices to guide allocation of respective government and industry roles to guide sustainable development. The history and analysis of the Clean Air Act presented in this book illustrates the centrality of scientific analysis and technological capacity in driving environmental policy development. It would be useful for policy makers, environmental scientists, and anyone interested in gaining a clearer understand of the interaction of science and policy. Offers an overview of the 1970 Clean Air Act and its subsequent effects Highlights the relationship between policy and scientific discovery Extracts lessons from the United States to apply to other policy and national contexts