Essay On New York City Smog

Shortly after World War II, thick clouds of smog hovered above major cities around the United States. American’s were becoming very ill and dying from health related issues from pollution inhalation. Rivers and lakes were littered with garbage and were too contaminated to enjoy. The misuse of pesticides was occurring around the nation, killing everything in its path, literally. Over three million gallons of crude oil spewed into the ocean at a rate of one thousand gallons, an hour, for a month. This was the largest oil spill to date and it caused horrific problems for marine life (Mai-D). People of all ages were becoming enraged, yet no one had proposed an idea to help correct decades of pollution. A conservative senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord …show more content…
A few environmental casualties drew nation wide attention in the late 1960’s. In November of 1966, nearly two hundred people died in New York City from respiratory illnesses related to “horrendously poor air quality” (Green). Deathly high levels of carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide were trapped in the stagnant air hovering above the city. Smog was so thick that you could barely see the buildings down the block. The city asked for help from citizens to take “voluntary measures to reduce emissions” (“New York City Smog”). The people of New York City were asked to find alternate routes to work, turn off major appliances until evening hours, and more. Immediately following this event, New York City implemented the Department of Air Pollution to record levels of air pollution. Within a few years, New York City had cut their sulfur and dioxide levels in half which was astonishing news for the city (“New York City Smog”). Even though this was only one issue of pollution within the country, it was a step in the right direction of acknowledging a major problem and taking active measures to help clean our