Should we pay more [attention and/or money] on air

pollution?Yayu Yu

Proposition of Fact SpeechApril 4, 2007

MY POSITION

I SAY ….

Longer life expected in rural areas

• Men in Manchester can expect to die 10 years earlier than those born in north Dorset.

• For men, north Dorset offers the longest average life, at 79.6 years, while in Manchester it goes down to 69.7 years. Liverpool comes third worst, at 72 years.

• For women, north Dorset is the third longest expectancy with 83.4 , Manchester is at 77.6 and 77.1 in Liverpool.

Liverpool

60

65

70

75

80

85

Men Women

North DorsetManchesterLi verpool

WHY?

Environmental Factors • the top five world famous longevity regions • the former Soviet Union • Pakistan• Ecuador• Xinjiang• Bama

• Rural Regions• beautiful environment• the appropriate temperature• Mountains• fresh air• clean water in the region

• Cities• industrial wastewater • solid waste emissions

Cleaner Air Linked To Reduced Death Rates

• 1990 coal ban in Dublin • The average concentrations of black

smoke decreased by 70% • Overall decrease in non-trauma

death rate of nearly 6%• Death by respiratory causes

decreased by around 15%• Death by cardiovascular causes by

around 10%• This related to an estimated

reduction of 116 respiratory deaths and 243 cardiovascular deaths every year after the ban was implemented.

Cleaner Air Linked To Reduced Death Rates

• Traffic-related air pollution and death • 5000 people from the NLCS (age 55-69

years) were studied from 1986 to 1994. • 11% of the study population died during

follow-up• People who lived near a main road were

around twice as likely to die from heart and/or lungs disease and were 1.4 times more likely to die from any cause.

Air Pollution Linked to Inherited Mutation

• Sooty air pollution can cause genetic damage that can be passed along to offspring.

• Mice that breathed filtered air had mutation rates 52 percent lower than the mice exposed to full strengthen steel mill pollution.

Breathe Filtered Air

Breathe Outside Air

Air pollution is expensive• Air pollution reductions are

expensive, costing Americans at least tens of billions of dollars each year. Recently, the EPA implemented tough new standards for ozone and soot that will cost at least an additional $100 billion per year -- or about $1,000 per household -- and the agency plans to clamp down still further in the future.

• A majority of voters are willing to pay more for programs to protect the country’s air and water supplies.

Conclusion• Next Speech:• What should be done

which has not been done yet?