Essay On California Central Valley Air Pollution

The state of California is driven by high productivity, the demand to produce and deliver makes air pollution inevitable. Air pollution is caused by air gasses that emit into the atmosphere, ultimately contaminating the air. The central valley of California is notorious for poor air quality, it has even been referred to as ‘America’s toxic agricultural capital’ (Leslie, 2010). The California Central Valley is greatly focused on agriculture, it is filled with farmers who rely heavily on their crops for income, but is also composed of larger metropolitan areas like Fresno and Bakersfield. It is because of the dual pollution coming from agriculture and urban life that the California Central Valley is one of the most polluted areas. There are two types of air pollutants: primary and secondary (Sitaras and Siskos, 2008). Primary air pollutants are emitted directed into the atmosphere from a source. Secondary air pollutants are not directly emitted into the air but are formed by the interaction of a primary air pollutant with other elements in the atmosphere. Both primary and secondary air pollutants are contributors to the poor air quality in the California Central Valley.
There are several causes of air pollution in the California Central Valley, the leading causes are …show more content…
The amount of particulate matter in the central valley has exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) (Gorrin, Collett,& Herckes, 2006). Particulate matter in the atmosphere is very dangerous specially to people who have a health disadvantage like asthma, diabetes, or even just a weak immune system. The level of particulate matter in the central increases during the winter due to wood burning this is especially dangerous because wintertime calls for a cold, flue, among other seasonal illnesses, with increased pollutants in the air minor illness can lead to more serious health