The Orbis

On April 15, Davidson County received recognition from the EPA -- an unwanted recognition. Davidson, along with 17 other Tennessee counties, reached nonattainment status for ozone air pollution. An area is designated as nonattainment if it has violated the national eight-hour ozone standard throughout the past three years.

According to the EPA, "[ground-level] ozone is formed when pollutants ... chemically react in the presence of sunlight. Ozone at ground level is a harmful air pollutant." Ozone causes respiratory system damage and can severely aggravate asthma, particularly in children and active individuals because, according to the EPA Web site, "During physical activity, ozone penetrates deeper into the parts of the lungs that are more vulnerable to injury."

According to an EPA press release, "Cars, trucks, power plants and industrial facilities are primary sources of these emissions. Ozone pollution is a concern during the summer months when the weather conditions needed to form ground-level ozone -- lots of sun and hot temperatures -- normally occur."

Urban areas, traditionally considered the main locations for air pollutions, are not alone in the air pollution problem. Rural areas -- including at least seven national parks -- have also reached nonattainment status.

Rural areas are often victim to air pollution swept by winds from urban areas into the previously unspoiled lands. Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains, Maine's Acadia and California's Yosemite in are among these damaged areas.

Counties with nonattainment status are required to develop plans to reduce ozone-forming pollution. Davidson County must submit an air clean-up plan by April 2007, detailing their method of reducing both the ozone in the air and the emissions of ozone-creating pollutants. This plan may include such actions as cleaning up power plants and factories and working to reduce pollution emissions from vehicles and other fuel usage.

However, for those who would prefer not to wait for three years while the Tennessee government devises a plan of attack, the EPA makes several suggestions individual citizens and businesses can follow if they wish to help solve the problem of ozone pollution.

Businesses, such as Vanderbilt, can install compact-florescent lightbulbs, replacing the incandescent bulbs that waste much electricity through heat production, which simultaneously increases the businesses' energy use through an increased need for air conditioning. Consumers can purchase Energy Star products, which are environmentally friendly and approved by the EPA.

(See http://www.energystar.gov for purchasing information.)

Many energy-saving methods are available to regular people like Vanderbilt students. To cut down on their daily energy consumption, people merely must assess their real energy needs. Computers should be turned off when not in use, and lights should be switched off when not needed. Air conditioning and heating should be kept to a minimum -- an open window is effective, and it uses no energy! Driving should be kept to a minimum, and consumers should purchase vehicles with high gas mileage.

(For more information, see http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles.)

An American Lung Association consultant gives the following advice to concerned individuals: "Stay inside as much as possible on high [ozone] alert days." However, if citizens wish to have full access to the great outdoors -- or even their own backyards -- while remaining healthy, they must demand a rapid response from the polluters, which include industries, power plants and consumers themselves.

By taking steps to reduce their own production of ozone-creating pollutants, and by demanding that businesses -- like Vanderbilt -- become responsible environmental stewards, the citizens of Nashville can help create a healthier environment for themselves and for generations to come.

Article Tools