Air pollution 'kills 7 million people a year'

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

WHO report says issue is now biggest single environmental health risk and the cause of one in eight deaths worldwide

The agency said air pollution caused about one in eight deaths and had now become the single biggest environmental health risk.

"We all have to breathe, which makes pollution very hard to avoid," said Frank Kelly, director of the environmental research group at King's College London, who was not part of the WHO report.

One of the main risks of pollution is that tiny particles can get deep into the lungs, causing irritation. Scientists also suspect air pollution may be to blame for inflammation in the heart, leading to chronic problems or a heart attack....

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/mar/25/air-pollution-kills-7m-people-a-year

I think nurses should be advocating for a healthy clean enviornment.

[toomuchbaloney]

So should our legislators, but they won't.

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

So should our legislators, but they won't.

We can try to make them do so or vote them out.

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

... The right to a healthy environment requires a healthy human habitat, including clean water, air, and soil that are free from toxins or hazards that threaten human health (Centre for Economic and Social Rights, 2007).

Without these necessities there will be an increase in death and disease.

It is our responsibility as nurses to advocate for global human health and to ensure that every person has access to clean water, air and food. Nurses must work to educate their clients their community and legislators on the issues of clean air food and water and address the health impacts so that the government will see the need for change globally and locally.

Nurses can work with legislators at any level to create and implement policies that will lead to clean air, water, food and environment...

Nurse's Role as an Environmental Activist

[toomuchbaloney]

Here in AK the fossil fuel industry has a great deal of say in the politics. They have very deep pockets and use that money to flood the market with their message. Many people are relatively uninformed outside of the ads that they see and read. Many of them are employed in the industry. Some of them consider themselves to be "conservative" and therefore are intolerant of information which is critical of fossil fuels and the issues that surround them.

Simply voting them out is not that easy.