Nowadays,
economic growth and globalization are identified in the development of
diverse activities such as oil industry, services, agriculture or an
increase in the consumption of fossil fuels. However, a negative
consequence of this progress is the generation of an important volume
of contaminants which, in combination with diverse environmental
factors, such as high temperatures, solar radiation or stationary air,
can produce negative effects in public health, ecosystems and other
resources.
In Europe, more than 70% of the population lives in
urban areas, thus making air quality control one of the most important
environmental parameters. This growing interest in the quality of the
air we breathe has caused numerous agencies, the US Environmental
Protection Agency for example, to initiate air quality awareness
campaigns. The aim of such actions is to promote an interest about
these issues in the general public, thus helping to protect their
health.
Specialists use a combination of information about
diverse contaminant and particle concentrations together with
meteorological forecasts, in order to offer the public, accurate air
quality measurements.
| |
