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Health and Environment Essay

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Health and Environment Essay
Health and Environment Essay Auckland region Air Quality report card
Wednesday 17 April 2013

Word count: 1456

This aim of this essay is to examine how people within the Auckland region have impacted on the air quality of their environment and as a result how this has affected their health. The selected report card on air quality was received from the Auckland Council's, State of Auckland website (Auckland Council, 2012). The human impacts on air quality that will be reviewed, are the use of open wood fireplaces for home heating and the emissions from motor vehicles. Given that it is essential for humans to breathe to sustain life we will examine the effect of air pollution from these emissions linked to respiratory problems and premature deaths. As a final point the review of the strategies the Auckland government has put in place to help reduce air pollution and the impact on human health in this region. Air pollution can be defined as the accumulation of gases, fumes, dust and pollutants in harmful amounts causing potential damage to the health of humans, animals and plants via natural or human activity (Kardesoglu, Yalcin, & Isilak, 2011). New Zealand measures its airborne particulate matter (PM) as, PM10 (large) particulates representing airborne particles less than 10 micrometres and PM2.5 (fine) particulates representing airborne particles that are less than 2.5 microns in diameter (Auckland Council, 2012; Ministry for the Environment [MFTE], 2007).

There are three key causes that lead to a negative human impact on air quality in the Auckland environment; this essay will focus on two causes. The first involves the combustion of wood and coal materials used in open wood fireplaces for home heating. According to the 2006 Census 26,000 open fireplaces were used by people in the Auckland region (Hibiscus Matters, 2013). When people use wood and coal primarily during winter the result is the increased amount of PM10 emitted into the air each day being 72%


References: Auckland Council. (2012). State of Auckland air quality report card. Retrieved from http://stateofauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/air-quality-report-card/auckland-reporting-area/ Auckland Council. (2013). The Auckland plan. Retrieved from http://theplan.theaucklandplan.govt.nz/aucklands-environment/ Fisher, G., Kjellstrom, T., Kingham, S., Hales, S., Shrestha, R., Sturman, A., . . . Durand, M. (2007). Health and Air Pollution in New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.hapinz.org.nz/HAPINZ%20Exec%20Summary%20Final%20Clean%20June%202007%20v3.pdf Hibiscus Matters. (2012). Log burners in the firing line. Retrieved from http://www.localmatters.co.nz/Hibiscus+Matters/Hibiscus+News+Archives/News+-+March+2012/Log+burners+in+the+firing+line.html Kardesoglu, E., Yalcin, M., & Isilak, Z. (2011). Air pollution and cardiovascular system. TAF Preventive Medicine Bulletin, 10(1.000), 97-106. doi: 10.5455/pmb.20101208034634 Ministry for the Environment. (2007). State of the Environment. Retrieved from http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/ser/enz07-dec07/environment-nz07-dec07.pdf Ministry of Health. (2013). Asthma. Retrieved February, 20, 2013 http://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/conditions-and-treatments/diseases-and-illnesses/asthma McNaughton, S., (2013). Urban Issues. In Shaw, S., White, L., & Deed, B. (Eds.), Health, wellbeing & environment in Aotearoa New Zealand (pp.54-68). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press Statistics New Zealand. (2006). QuickStats about the Auckland Region. Retrieved from http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/AboutAPlace/SnapShot.aspx?tab=Culturaldiversity&id=1000002&p=y&printall=true&map=off 3 News. (2013). Auckland Council unveils Unitary Plan [Website]. Retrieved from http://www.3news.co.nz/Auckland-Council-unveils-Unitary-Plan/tabid/423/articleID/290397/Default.aspx
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