Kansas City Pollution

Taking the time to appreciate nature can allow individuals to value naturally produced resources as well as the beauty of the environment. As societies continue to urbanize and strive to prosper, sometimes they neglect these naturally occurring resources. This kind of broad issue can be considered in any city, but one city one should regard is Kansas City and its current standings in terms of being eco-friendly. Thus, several specific issues can arise if the residents of Kansas City do not take the initiative to preserve is natural resources and environments, which include increased air pollution, tainted water sources, and landfills. By considering these problems that potentially harm Kansas City’s local environments, it allows one to decide

whether it is best to take actions that are environmentally conscious for the betterment of Kansas City’s welfare.

While one may visualize air pollution as huge fumes of smoke arising from a chimney and tainting the air of a city, this kind of image is not reflective of how Kansas City appears. However, air pollution is still an issue to consider as it can arise if residents do not act to prevent pollutants into our breathing environment. One of the most prevalent air pollution issues in Kansas City regards the ground level ozone levels. One should note that there are two types of ozone that make up the atmosphere: the ozone layer at a high altitude above the Earth and the ground-level ozone. The first type that is above Earth protects us from ultraviolet radiation from the sun, but the second type is commonly known as ozone pollution or smog (Mid-America Regional Council). Thus, ground-level ozone is a concern when present in at high levels in environments. Before diving in, one should be familiar with how high ground level ozone levels can be harmful. According to Dahl, an adjunct professor affiliated with the department of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, clarifies that “ozone is a common urban pollutant that has been linked to

health effects such as reduced lung function, increases in respiratory symptoms, and development of asthma” (Dahl). In addition, individuals that have respiratory issues are at greater risk of being harmed by ozone levels. For example, individuals with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) are effected by air pollutants like ozone. The American Lung Association claims that the “[e]ffects range from unscheduled hospital visits to mortality” (American Lung Association). This indicates that the presence of ozone levels in communities can harm those that are sensitive to air pollutants. Individuals with COPD, for instance, can be at risk for mortality if not prepared to the exposure. Although considering the detrimental health effects of high ozone levels is important, having some familiarity with the levels considered harmful or safe is significant too.
Ozone levels that are at eighty parts per billion over an eight-hour time period are considered safe by the EPA’s (Enivronmental Protection Agency) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

However, more studies have shown that this standard may not be considered safe. On one account that challenges the safety of that level, a team of researchers conducted a study on ninety-eight urban communities in the United States over a fourteen-year time period to decipher whether there was a correlation between “ambient ozone levels and mortality rates” (Dahl). They have found that their “research [shows] strong and consistent evidence that daily increases in ambient ozone exposure were associated with daily increases in premature mortality [and] each daily 10-ppb [parts per billion] increase of 8-hour ozone was associated with a 0.30% increase in mortality” (Dahl). In addition, they pointed out that these high ozone levels were evident at pollution levels considered low. This means that current ozone regulations are not as safe as the EPA thought and that taking measures of cities with low pollution levels should also regard whether the ozone levels are within a harmless range too. While being familiar with how detrimental high ozone levels can be, considering its impact on Kansas City is important

too.
Regarding recent reports in 2016, Kansas City has dealt with three ozone Alerts, which is detrimental to the health of residents and indicates the environment is not well preserved during those times the alert occurred (Skoog, et. al). Additionally, in the following years, it has experienced one, two, and four ozone alerts in the years 2015, 2014, and 2013 respectively. Although these ozone alerts fluctuate between one to four alerts per year, it reminds communities that they should be aware of air pollutants and that we should perform measures to lower it, especially in helping those that have respiratory issues. During those times where an ozone alert occurred, there tends to be an increase in patient visits to the hospital or emergency room, and among much of those patients are children suffering from asthma (Mid-America Regional Council). In addition, more than 25,000 children in the Kansas City area are diagnosed with asthma and a trend has shown that ozone can trigger asthma attacks. According to the Mid-America Regional Council, Kansas City’s air is not always considered “clean” because “the metropolitan area typically experiences 10 to 15 days each year on which air quality does not meet federal standards, primarily due to high concentrations of ground-level ozone” (Mid-America Regional Council). Half of the ozone-forming emissions come from an excess of everyday activities communities do, which include driving too frequently to destinations, refueling gas too much during daylight and overfilling gas in a car’s tank, mowing the lawn during the day, and more. Anything involving an excess exposure to gas can increase the levels of ground-level ozone, risking the health of residents. For instance, if an individual was unware that the day was an ozone alert day and they decided to mow the lawn, he or she can create “far more pollution per gallon of fuel burned than cars do” because the mower often lacks emission controls (Mid-America Regional Council). These are activities are common not only among Kansas City residents, but also many other communities across the United States, and it is important to be aware that an excess of such activities can subdue harm to the quality of Kansas City’s air. While considering the issue of air quality in Kansas City is apparent in harming our environment and natural resource of air, focusing on the city’s current standings in preserving their water resources is important as well.
Water is one of the essential resources residents use every day. As these communities utilize it, it may be apparent that they neglect to take care of its quality. With this in mind, residents tend to release contaminants into water supplies without being aware of doing so. Among the many reasons that link how water supplies are being tainted, one of the most significant ones is over urbanization of the city. In one study, it claimed, “[u]rban development alters the natural hydrological conditions of many streams and rivers often resulting in the degradation of water quality, physical habitat, and biotic integrity of lotic systems” (Davis, et. al, 1) . By stating this, the researchers asserted that there are many factors urbanization can negatively effect in terms of the environment as well as the water systems involved. Since sewers systems are often involved in urban areas, sometimes they are not properly monitored in terms of their effects on surrounding streams in the area. Sewers can contain high levels of pollutants, and if not carefully contained, such pollutants can become contaminants to nearby streams. In doing so, it is likely those streams are sources of drinking water for residents and other surrounding species within the vicinity. Thus, any exposure to such contaminants to humans and wildlife can negatively affect their health.
In another study that focused on water quality in the Blue River Basin of Kansas City Missouri and Kansas, they described that “[i]n the Blue River and Indian Creek, the nearly continuous discharge of treated wastewater effluent was the primary source of nutrients, wastewater indicator compounds, and pharmaceutical compounds detected in stream samples” (Armstrong, et. al, 1). They further noted that much of the wastewater deposition was from storm events that triggered excess overflow of nearby sewers. This eventually led to release of untreated wastewater into the creeks within the vicinity. Thus, this asserts that such sewage systems should be optimized to withstand conditions that may lead to unintended wastewater leaks. The presence of such leaks can harm the water quality of nearby streams and other sources of water, a situation that should be prevented for both the safety of humans and the wildlife. In the case of the Blue River Creek and Indian Creek in this study, that was measured over a two-year period, the researchers have noticed that “[c]concentrations and loads of most wastewater constituents in the Blue River and Indian Creek were significantly greater than in Brush Creek, especially during base flow” (Armstrong, et. al, 1). The primary reasons for this finding, they claimed, was due to the presence of small drainage areas that were responsible to remove wastewater inputs. However, these areas had the greatest density of wastewater present, and when only a small source of drainage is present, this led to an increase of contamination of those streams discussed. Thus, as urbanization continues to sprawl, workers that maintain such sewage systems in the city must properly monitor them and help prevent events that may lead to an influx of contaminants in nearby water resources. Such contaminants that are indicators of wastewater into nearby streams include “antioxidants, caffeine, detergent metabolites, antimicrobials, and … over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceuticals” (Armstrong, et. al, 1). By considering the elements that are present to pollute Kansas City’s water sources, it communicates that there is an issue present in keeping them safe. It shows that contamination of Kansas City’s nearby water supplies is apparent, and if an initiative is not taken to preserve water supplies and take care of nearby streams within the environment, the welfare of residents and wildlife may be harmed (Tao, et. al). Although focusing on how Kansas City’s water quality is potentially plummeting, considering how the city handles waste and landfills are important as well.