Is clean air a myth?
By emeraldisle
@emeraldisle (13139)
United States
February 11, 2007 1:16pm CST
In another discussion I was in about smoking a non-smoker mentioned the right to breath "clean air" and that smoking wasn't a Constitutional right. Well there are many things we do that are not in the Constitution and there is no right in there to breathe "Clean Air", however this discussion is not about smoking but about the comment about breathing "clean air". I started to wonder when was the last time any of us had done this.
Let's face it over 150 years ago we started polluting the air with trains and then boats. We then added in oil and gas lamps, some of which were on every street corner. Factories started to be built and spew out their fumes. Then we added in the automobile; lots of fumes pouring out there. We then produced air planes and more factories. All of these things have been adding things to the air around us. As we entered the last half of the 20th century we produced pesticides, fertilizers, air fresheners and other cleaning products that have again filled the air around us. We created chemicals to treat the hair to make it curly, straight, and/or change it's color. We use other chemicals to create long nails or to clean and paint them.
So with all these chemicals and toxins floating around the air I have to wonder when it was any of us have ever breathed clean air. It doesn't seem possible considering the pollution we have been dumping into the air around us for the last century and a half.
What do you think? Is the chance to breath clean air just a myth?
2 people like this
8 responses
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
11 Feb 07
I really don't think we're going to find clean air anywhere now. There are things we can do to help keep it "cleaner" but I really don't see how it can every really be clean again. I do love going out into the woods, though, where the air always seems cleaner to me than in town.
2 people like this
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
11 Feb 07
In comparision to the town I'm sure the woods do seem like the air is cleaner. The oxygen content is higher there due to all the trees and other plants.
2 people like this
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
11 Feb 07
Well it was why the discussion came about but I think you are right. Smoking has gone on for centuries without a problem to our air supply. It disapates very quickly the same as the smoke from a camp fire or cooking fire does. We can't say the same about such with the other toxins that we put out with industrialization. Now I will admit that I like most of the modern inventions, cars, planes, trains etc but I do realize how they are effecting the air and how they do far more damage to it then some other things we might do.
1 person likes this
@Chapman15 (1492)
• United States
14 Feb 07
Well living in LA the last two years I firmly believe that clean air won't exist anywhere soon. I've been to places like Beijing and it's even worse there than in LA! I was kind of disturbed to see a place that was smoggier than the smoggiest place I've ever lived!
As for smokers around me, I have no problem with that. I think they can do what they want, and if I don't like it I'll move somewhere else! In your sense clean air is a myth, but I've lived near Lake Tahoe and the air there is clean enough for me to enjoy!
1 person likes this
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
14 Feb 07
I've never been to LA but I have heard how the air is there. It's hard to imagine someplace worse then that. I will agree that some areas have cleaner air. I wonder if we could handle true clean air anymore. I was told there was a study done that showed people can't but I don't know if he was pulling my leg or if it really was a study. It made me wonder about it though. We are so used to breathing air that has problems with it how would our bodies handle having clean fresh air?
1 person likes this
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
15 Feb 07
I bet the altitude would cause you some problems if you aren't used to it. I'm not sure if smog rises or not. It would be something to find out on but not sure how to.
@Chapman15 (1492)
• United States
15 Feb 07
I wonder if smog rises or sinks? I was rescently in Peru and we were about 10,000 feet abouve sea level and the air was really clean, but I wasn't used to the elevation and they gave me cocoa tea, I guess they think that helps everybody with everything lol! Anyways, there really isn't clean air, but I still like the idea of fresher air!
1 person likes this
@babykay (2131)
• Ireland
12 Feb 07
Air, water and food as clean and unpolluted as was found on Earth at the Dawn of mankind is unrealistic. But it seems we should all strive for this by minimizing our impact on the earth by choosing not to make that car journey or better still not own a car, cut down on our greenhouse gas emissions, eating less fish and meat. I think that smoking is one of those things that people seem to get very upset about. I don't like smoking around me but I don't mind it when in a pub and I won't allow anyone to smoke around my child. But why would I go ape about someone smoking near me for a short space of time? It won't do me too much harm once it is just a one off. I don't smoke as I said and I would prefer not to be smoked near but things like excessive pollution from cars, radiation etc concern me much more.
1 person likes this
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
12 Feb 07
You and me both. The stuff we spew out from cars, factories and the like worry me far more. You have the right not to have smoking right around you. I won't argue that one and if a business doesn't want to have smoking in it I don't have a problem. It's just some who want to decide for others on what they should do that I have a problem with.
@AskAlly (3625)
• Canada
13 Feb 07
I think there are places where it is less polluted or diluted, but pure fresh air.....Sadly not anymore. I think that the air is pretty much saturated with some contaminant or other no matter where you go on earth.
I watched a documentary a while back. Some scientists were taking core samples of ice from either the north or south pole and the layers were showing contamination.
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
13 Feb 07
That is really scary that the ice is now showing it. I figured that might be one area that had clean air and such but I guess not. Makes you wonder about humanity that we can cause that much damage to this planet.
@moonmage (148)
• United States
12 Feb 07
Smoke does not make the air 'unclean'... I know how it is being sensitive or allergic to cig smoke but asking for some consideration and then telling your friend they're polluting the world are two different things. I hardly think people smoking equates to the air damage from fossil fuel or paper plants (for example). Even before that, the air itself has never been 'clean' if it were completely clean we wouldn't be able to breathe it. Some of the particles in the air are necessary to survival, after all, and not all of them are "clean". Bleach is pretty clean but I don't want to breathe that in.
1 person likes this
@chaygylmommy (2470)
• United States
12 Feb 07
Sure it is...if you go up in the mountains or somewhere where there is no population. LOL Anywhere you live there is pollution and toxins in the air. Clean air just isn't available in any POPULATED area. It's really sad.
1 person likes this
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
12 Feb 07
Yeah maybe but what about pollution caused by air traffic? Even areas without people get affected by us. Crazy huh?
@maribea (2366)
• Italy
12 Feb 07
I do agree with you...pollution is one of the biggest problems we have nowadays..we have to hope governments decide to do something crucial about this problem or we're not leaving a good world to our children. We can do something on our own...be careful and try to use as small amount of soap as we can,...we can try not to spoil resources like water and electricity, we can try to have a walk sometimes instead of taking the car....we can pay attention to little things and try to ask our politicians to take care of our health making good laws and making people respect them...I think this is one of the possible way...the other is trying to make our air as clean as possible..I hate smoking and fight against smoke as a doctor and as a person....we can have many plants because they make our air cleaner and we can escape from cities every time we can to walk along the sea or to walk in the mountains...just to find the cleanest air we can
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
11 Feb 07
clean air is not a myth and there is a great deal of it about. carbon dioxide is what plants breathe. if you want to clean the air in your area, get houseplants. they exhile oxygin.
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
12 Feb 07
Yes plants do get rid of carbon monoxide but not dioxide and they don't get rid of other toxins in the air. I do agree they can help with some things but not all that we flood the air with.
