The Problem of China's Industrial Pollutants Reaching the American Shore

Chinese Air Pollution Leaving an Impact in the West

It's common knowledge that the rocketing growth of China's industrial sector has created more than its fair share of lingering problems in the environment. Unfortunately, this pollution isn't merely a domestic issue for the Chinese. The most populous nation's gargantuan, toxic footprint is making its noxious presence felt across the Pacific Ocean and extending into the United States. The Pacific's winds are continuously driving thousands upon thousands of tons of pollutants stateside yearly, joining a worldwide current of air contamination and making an unprecedented contribution to the diminished health of the environment.

The Mercury Is Rising

Carbon monoxide was found in substantial amounts when the correlation betwee
Chinese industrial runoff and American pollution was first recognized, as were hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, radon, ozone and particulates. However, the most conce
ing contributor to the contaminated environment was something entirely different. Mercury has been produced in massive amounts by China's industrial efforts, and it has found its way to the States through heated metals and burned coal, reaching the ocean and eventually coming ashore, infecting fish, grains and produce. In aquatic environments and in soil, bacteria reduce mercury into a compound known as methylmercury, which gets consumed by microbes and climbs its way through the food chain, eventually reaching fish in strong concentrations. This causes significant danger to animals and humans, damaging fetuses in pregnant women and leading to impaired cognitive function. Mercury's presence has been increasing at an alarming rate in the past decade, largely in thanks to increased runoff from China. In recent years, there have been actual plumes of mercury-laden smoke continuously traveling eastward in the direction of the States.

Other Major Pollutants

Other contaminants are also being carried ashore and threatening Americans' health. Black carbon is a sooty substance expelled by vehicles and other devices that burn fuel. It is composed of very small particles that are adept at permeating the lungs of living creatures, providing an opportunity for otherwise resistable toxins to make a residence and cause further disease and death. Dust itself is the most voluminous contributor to pollution from Asia, and it worsens thanks to deforesting and failed agricultural efforts. Ozone is formed by various volatile compounds converted in sunlight, contributing heavily to smog and causing major heart and lung ailments.

A Long Road Ahead

The tremendous negative impact that Chinese industrial contaminants have already left in the United States, especially in the west coast, has undoubtedly ruined a significant number of lives at this point through neurotoxic diseases, cancer, and other horrible illnesses. Unfortunately, the magnitude of the efforts required to cause some sort of reprieve for America and China seems to guarantee no easy answer.