1
Introduction: A Summary
with New Perspectives
1.1 Introduction
Contaminants in air are responsible for more premature deaths worldwide
than those in any other environmental media. The topic of air has never been
more important in my (JNS) lifetime than it is now. In 2020, the world came to
a virtual halt due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), an airborne virus that
caused a pandemic. As of June 2021, 170 million people worldwide had been
infected, and 3.5 million people died (600,000 people in the United States
alone). As with other airborne contaminants, steps can be taken to lessen
the effects. The frst measure in many places was to stay home. And in the
beginning as people shuttered up in their homes, animals took over abandoned cities and swimming pools became duck ponds. One potential upside
of people staying home during the pandemic has been a sharp decrease in
greenhouse gases (Plumer, 2021).
But much of the world has tried to return to daily life (whether or not it
is premature is a contentious subject). To slow the spread, many strategies
have been used in combination: masks that can flter virus-laden air, social
distancing, vaccines, and virus-sniffng dogs. Although the vaccines were
released with unprecedented speed and some are nearly 100% effective, the
vaccination programs have been overwhelmed with logistical problems due
to the challenge of vaccinating the entire population, vaccine shortages in
some regions of the world, and vaccine hesitancy in some populations.
Also in 2020, weather and natural disaster events (due to global climate
change) increased in duration and magnitude. California and the West Coast
have experienced the worst wildfres in U.S. history, with more than 4 million acres of urban, farmland and forests being destroyed. Among the worst
wildfres in California history, fve were in 2020, and four of those were in
August alone (CAL FIRE, 2021). Wildfres release particulate matter, CO 2 ,
and incomplete combustion products that are known carcinogens (e.g.,
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)). And when pesticides and other
applied chemicals are present, they are released to air.
DOI: 10.1201/9781003217602-1
1
Introduction: A Summary
with New Perspectives
1.1 Introduction
Contaminants in air are responsible for more premature deaths worldwide
than those in any other environmental media. The topic of air has never been
more important in my (JNS) lifetime than it is now. In 2020, the world came to
a virtual halt due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), an airborne virus that
caused a pandemic. As of June 2021, 170 million people worldwide had been
infected, and 3.5 million people died (600,000 people in the United States
alone). As with other airborne contaminants, steps can be taken to lessen
the effects. The frst measure in many places was to stay home. And in the
beginning as people shuttered up in their homes, animals took over abandoned cities and swimming pools became duck ponds. One potential upside
of people staying home during the pandemic has been a sharp decrease in
greenhouse gases (Plumer, 2021).
But much of the world has tried to return to daily life (whether or not it
is premature is a contentious subject). To slow the spread, many strategies
have been used in combination: masks that can flter virus-laden air, social
distancing, vaccines, and virus-sniffng dogs. Although the vaccines were
released with unprecedented speed and some are nearly 100% effective, the
vaccination programs have been overwhelmed with logistical problems due
to the challenge of vaccinating the entire population, vaccine shortages in
some regions of the world, and vaccine hesitancy in some populations.
Also in 2020, weather and natural disaster events (due to global climate
change) increased in duration and magnitude. California and the West Coast
have experienced the worst wildfres in U.S. history, with more than 4 million acres of urban, farmland and forests being destroyed. Among the worst
wildfres in California history, fve were in 2020, and four of those were in
August alone (CAL FIRE, 2021). Wildfres release particulate matter, CO 2 ,
and incomplete combustion products that are known carcinogens (e.g.,
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)). And when pesticides and other
applied chemicals are present, they are released to air.
DOI: 10.1201/9781003217602-1
1