Julia Curran
September 6, 2016
Current Events
Worland, Justin. "Toxic Air Pollution Can Penetrate the Brain: Study." Time. Time, 06 Sept.
2016. Web. 06 Sept. 2016.
“Toxic Air Pollution Can Penetrate the Brain: Study” by Justin Worland addresses how air pollution remains a major global health threat that contributes to many more degenerative diseases than previously thought. According to new research the toxic effects of pollution reach well beyond just cardiovascular diseases. Based on research from a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, pollution also appears to be a contributing factor to brain maladies, such as Alzheimer's. Researchers found that toxic particles of magnetite and other metals which makes up the much of the pollution in urban areas, are actually able to permeate the brain through the olfactory nerve. These substances have been found in high levels of brain tissue taken from people who had previously resided in heavily polluted cities. The author believes this research now shows how the pollution can enter the human body and cause the disease, although he does note that more research will be necessary to show the exact cause and effect.
This is problematic, since according to the World Health Organization, over 80% of people in urban societies reside in areas where air quality is well below current health standards. According to this article air pollution is linked to a variety of health issues, including millions of premature deaths yearly, throughout the world. It has long been a problem in cities that are heavily polluted such as in third world countries like India, but now it seems to also be affecting areas that are proactively fighting pollution, such as in Europe and the United States. It affects our lives here in Bronxville, because we are located just outside a major city. We breath the same air and it appears based on this article, that even small amounts are able to “infiltrate” the human body and wreak havoc on one’s health. Now that we are gaining a greater understanding of how pollution can permeate the body, we need to focus more on ways to prevent it from doing so.
I found this article to be very interesting since toxic air pollution affects so much of humanity. However, it covered this topic in very general terms, raising a lot of unanswered questions. The author often stated that “research shows” that pollution contributes to degenerative brain diseases without giving specific examples or sources for his theories. He asserts that pollution “infiltrates” the brain through the olfactory nerve, but has not detailed exactly why he makes this claim, other than that it was found in the brain tissue of individuals from heavily polluted cities, like Mexico City and Manchester. It leaves me to question whether there could be other ways that pollution could end up in the brain tissue. Maybe it traveled in the person’s bloodstream when that person drank contaminated water or food? Could the magnetite or other metals somehow be absorbed by the skin, similar to lead poisoning? Leaving these questions unanswered was frustrating to me as a reader, however with more research these questions could possibly be answered.
Julia's current event on the correlation of toxic air and the brain exemplified great knowledge. She incorporated the holistic view of the problems, including relating the problem to Bronxville- since we are only 20 minutes from a very polluted area. Furthermore, She asks in depth questions on how accurate this man's study is. Such as, "Could the magnetite or other metals somehow be absorbed by the skin, similar to lead poisoning?" Also, Julia adds this one statistic that helps the reader visualize what is actually happening in the world today. It is, "... 80% of people in urban societies reside in areas where air quality is well below current health standards."
ReplyDeleteHowever, I believe Julia contradicts herself by saying that the author did not go in depth about multiple questions she states throughout her essay. She doesn't explain significant words in her article, for instance "olfactory nerve." She should expand on that term. Another area Julia could have improved on was reflecting more on the brain aspect of the study. She only mentioned Alzheimer's once, and instead she chose to write about how air pollution affects society as a whole.
After reading this review, I learned the significance of keeping our world intact, because if we do not do this, then we will face physical and metal repercussions. This article helps me realize that our world is going through environmental changes and we may be contributing to this abomination. I chose this article because I know very little about it, therefore I wanted to expand my horizons by reading it.
One thing this student did particularly well, was she cited all the facts she got from her article. For example when she presented a new study done, she said “a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, pollution also appears to be a contributing factor to brain maladies, such as Alzheimer's.” The student also did a good job taking away all the important information from the article and not making it a boring read. She was very informative in her summary as well, and as I finished reading, it was as if I had read the actual article.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this student did a great job, she could have improved in some areas. One thing she could have done better was incorporate her personal opinion in at the end logically. She seemed to be all over the place with questions she had and her own personal opinion towards these issues. Lastly, I think her vocabulary was slightly boring and had she used more intriguing and unique words, it would have been a nicer, more enjoyable read.
One thing that absolutely blew me away from this article was when the student wrote that in over 80% of all urban areas, the air quality is well below the World Health Organizations standard. Given how close we all live to New York City, that is certainly alarming. Overall this article was a rude awakening for me, air pollution was something I had always known about, but I never worried myself about it. Now, after reading this summary, it is something I am fully aware of.
I found Julia’s article very interesting, since it was very topical, especially situationally since it affects almost everyone. She did a good job making some parts of it simple and digestible so that we can as a reader understand the idea of it without too much confusion. She named the studies that were named in the article she read, which was helpful if someone would like to research it more. It is apparent that she put a lot of time into this and it was well worded. The pacing was good as well, since it did not jump between topics or on the other hand stay on a topic too long, so that it was a quick and easy read. I also liked how she mentioned Alzheimer's as one of the diseases caused by this, because it places it more into reality instead of just possibility or abstract.
ReplyDeleteSome more scientific parts of the studies could have been placed under a little more description. She explain why it was bad and why it should be studied more, but how and why were slightly ignored, possibly because of the lack of studies done on this topic, but it would have been nice to know why such chemicals are in the air. If for example it came from factories, it could have been addressed so as to tell people what the problem is. The end was a little open as well. It is good to point out that the article had some holes, but ending on a note where it ends in ambiguous questions can leave the reader a little confused.
What i found fascinating both biologically and scientifically, as well as philosophically that our own advancement in technology is the thing that is a danger to us. Not only does it seem to come from man made objects or places, they come from the densest places of human population in one of the more developed countries in the world and that we are having the same problem as cities in India, even though the science program here and the understanding, as far as I know, is higher.
Overall, Julia’s review of “Toxic Air Pollution can Penetrate the Brain” showed that she had a very in depth understanding of this article, and topic. I liked how she stated all the potential consequences that air pollution can have on the body, and cited her sources when they were available to her.This aspect really asserted the validity of her topic. Second, I liked how she connected it to Bronxville. She stated that towns close to densely populated areas are also at risk, and brought up Bronxville’s proximity to New York City. A final positive aspect of her review was how she pointed out many questions the author did not answer, and provided her own opinions on these questions. This further enhanced her review and provided a different look on some of the facts stated.
ReplyDeleteThe main flaw in Julia’s review was its relation to the article. While she did state toxic air pollution and caused many diseases such as alzheimer’s, a majority of her review was on the world’s population and the areas with high levels of pollution. However, the article is titled, and about how pollution affects the brain. The second way in which her article could improve is her presentation of the facts she used. She provided many so many facts about her topic that at times either the significance of the fact, or the relation of the fact to her topic becomes unclear.
This article provided a necessary insight into the importance of keeping the air around us clean. Julia mentioned many disturbing details about our air, such as 80% of people currently live in areas with air below health standards. Primarily this article makes me more conscientious of my carbon footprint and how it can affect those around me. I chose this article because the title seemed very relevant to me, and the topic has a large impact on society as a whole.
I read Julia's review of the current event, "Toxic Air Pollution Can Penetrate the Brain". I thought it was insightful of her to question the scientist performing this study at the end of her review. I also liked how she backed up these claims with specific evidence. For example, "This is problematic, since according to the World Health Organization, over 80% of people in urban societies reside in areas where air quality is well below current health standards". This proves she did her research and was very interested in this topic. Also, I liked how Julia mentioned Bronxville being affected by air pollution, due to the fact that we live so close to the city. "We breath the same air and it appears based on this article, that even small amounts are able to 'infiltrate' the human body and wreak havoc on one’s health." Even though she did these parts well, she still has to improve in certain areas. For example, she said that there are ways we could improve the air quality, but she did not provide any ideas to prevent air pollution. Also, at the end of her review, she makes it seem that the article is not very reliable, when she says that the writer did not include sources or facts about his theories of air pollution entering the brain.
ReplyDeleteMy take after reading the review is I learned that if we want to keep Earth as our home planet, then we have to start treating it better. Otherwise, we will not only destroy Earth itself, but we will harm ourselves by giving each other mental and physical disabilities.
ReplyDeleteJulia’s current event regarding air toxicity in highly populated areas, was extraordinarily enlightening. In this current event, Julia made fantastic use of multiple sources such as when she references a study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, or when the World Health Organization was referred to. Another fantastic thing that Julia does in this current event is that she addresses specific materials in the air such as magnetite, Julia stated “Researchers found that toxic particles of magnetite and other metals which makes up the much of the pollution in urban areas, are actually able to permeate the brain through the olfactory nerve.” This use of specifics not only shows that she read the article but also that she had a clear understanding of it. Most importantly Julia makes a great point of why the reader should care about this matter, and how Bronxville’s proximity to the city puts the people of the town in danger. She did this by saying, “It affects our lives here in Bronxville, because we are located just outside a major city.”
Although Julia's current event was great overall, that is not to say that it did not have its shortcomings. For instance, her use of only one statistic when the article that she was writing about had multiple that she could have used to help convey her points. Such as the fact that 6,500 people die in the United States every year from poor air quality. This problem could have been remedied by incorporating more statistics from her article to reinforce her point. Another issue was that she did not give any specific examples of ways in which the problem of air pollution could be fixed. To correct this she could add in a sentence or two talking about what air quality regulations should be set in place.
I personally found the subject of this lab report to be quite terrifying, especially now that I have learned that the air that I breath might be killing me. On the bright side I think that this current event will motivate me to ride my bike more often instead of going places with a car which has emissions that are slowly killing the American populous.
Bridget Sands
ReplyDeleteSeptember 15th, 2016
Current Events Review
Citation found on Report:
Worland, Justin. "Toxic Air Pollution Can Penetrate the Brain: Study." Time. Time, 06 Sept.
2016. Web. 06 Sept. 2016.
http://time.com/4480016/air-pollution-health-effects/
I found Julia’s report on Air Pollution to be very informing. Air pollution has become a threat to our earth, especially in the past few years, causing world wide conflict on how to fight it. One thing Julia did well was create an understanding of the topic. She explains that the different parts of toxic metals, such as magnetite gets mixed into the air, causing a problem and bad pollution. Julia also excelled in creating the seriousness of the article. She states that the pollution could contribute to “brain maladies”, in which includes Alzheimer’s. This creates a serious aspect because Alzheimer’s is a known disease in which many people suffer; it is genetic and can make a person lose their memory. Also, the brain is not to be messed with. The brain controls the way the rest of the body works, and if pollution is causing a problem with people’s brains, it should be taken very seriously. Finally, Julia did a superb job relating the article to specifically the people in Bronxville. She expresses her concerns that Bronxville is near New York City, (and although she didn’t mention it Yonkers) which are two major cities where the pollution is more common, because the cities are big, dirty, and have many factories and work facilities. By showing that we in Bronxville are directly reflected, it creates concern and makes people want to try to fix the situation before it becomes worse.
One way that Julia could have improved her report is by including possible solutions to helping the pollutions. Although she explains the problem, she never gives any way that we could help/ people that are already trying to help. Also, Julia could have gone more in depth with the ways that the pollution affects the body. She does mention the brain, and premature births but nothing really else. If she had explained that it affected our respiratory system because that is the way we breathe in and out, it would provide more clarity.
Throughout Julia’s report, I continued to learn new things. But, my “ah-ha” moment came after I had finished reading the study. It came after I put everything into perspective, how everything is affected by the pollution and such. It is hurting our planet and not many people have done anything to help or stop it. If we continue to treat Earth like this, there will soon be nothing left to treat.
Andres Saralegui
ReplyDeletehttp://time.com/4480016/air-pollution-health-effects/ Worland, Justin. "Toxic Air Pollution Can Penetrate the Brain: Study." Time. Time, 06 Sept.
2016. Web. 06 Sept. 2016.
Julia Curran wrote a current event article on "Toxic Air Pollution" a spreading problem that is occurring in populated cities. Julia did a tremendous job at explaining the importance of the situation. By giving information about what certain parts of the brain toxic gases can injure, I felt intrigued and absorbed. She did an amazing job at showing examples of how air pollution is dangerous for example "pollution also appears to be a contributing factor to brain maladies, such as Alzheimer's". Also she did a fantastic job at involving all of our personal lives with giving examples that involve Bronxville. For instance, " It affects our lives here in Bronxville, because we are located just outside a major city". By getting the "readers" involved with the article by mentioning Bronxville, it really grabbed my attention and made me feel more interested in the topic we were reading about. It made me think if we were really breathing unsafe air, and any article that makes you stop and think is impressive.
One element that Julia could have done to improve her current event is provide examples on how to stop air pollution or at least prevent it from injuring our brain and lungs. It also would have been a nice ouch if she were to add in the author's name of the study "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences".
In conclusion, I was surprised to read how much toxic gases can injure our brain and lungs but Julia's article takes it a step further by including examples that involve Bronxville that made me question my own health as well as my family and friends.
My classmate, Julia current event review on the article “Toxic Air Pollution Can Penetrate the Brain: Study” by Justin Worland. Toxic air is a serious and widespread problem and scientist need to find a better way to solve it. Julia did a good job with her review, one reason I think this is because she was able to backup her claims with evidence. An example of this was when she told the reader how, “over 80% of people in urban societies reside in areas where air quality is well below current health standards”. By stating this Julia proves that she take valid pieces of information, and use them to support her claims. Another thing Julia did well was how she made a connection between air pollution and her life. She explained how because Bronxville is located near NYC we breath the same toxic air as people do in the city. A final thing that I thought Julia did well was how she was able to ask important questions at the end of her article and how she was able to criticize the author unlike many other current event reviews.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I think Julia did a good job overall, I still think there are some ways she could have improved her review. One way she could have enhanced her review is by including a better explanation for some statements so people who haven’t read the article could understand the review better. An example of a confusing point is when Julia talked about brain maladies and alzheimer's, it would have been less confusing if she explained these diseases. Another way I think Julia would have improved her article is if she had explained more about the possible health problems than the cities that were being affected by air pollution. I think this would have been helpful because the readers can infer that air pollution is affecting most modern cities while they are still oblivious to the possible outcomes of being in contact with polluted air.
After reading this review I realize that if a change is not made soon, air pollution will become world wide. And if we continue to stand by and watch our world go through more environmental change, we could get life changing diseases.
After reading Julia’s response to an article titled, “Toxic Air Pollution Can Penetrate the Brain: Study”, I found many positive attributes to this article. One of the main positive parts of this response is how interesting this article is. The air that we breathe matters and some air is better than others, and this difference is important. In addition, Julia backed up the theory that the air we breathe affects our brains with valid sources such as The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This makes her response more valid. Another important thing that Julia did was tell how it affected people in Bronxville as this is an issue that affects everyone. Since Bronxville is located outside a major city, we breathe air that is bad for us.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I believe this article is extremely thorough, there are some things I would change. One issue was that because I live in an area that may be bad to breathe in, what I should do to not breathe in this air or somehow combat this. Another thing I want to know is what cities are doing to help this issue.
After I read this response, I learned the hazards that can be found even in our air. Living in a city or near a city can have detrimental health effects that can lead to many physical and mental problems over time. I live in a fairly safe area where the air is safer, but in urban areas, the air can be highly polluted. More should be done to create awareness about this issue so it can be solved.
Worland, Justin. "Toxic Air Pollution Can Penetrate the Brain: Study." Time. Time, 06 Sept.
ReplyDelete2016. Web. 06 Sept. 2016.
http://time.com/4480016/air-pollution-health-effects/
Julia wrote a great review of the article, “Toxic Air Pollution Can Penetrate the Brain: Study” by Justin Worland. One positive aspect of Julia's review was her great use of detail. Julia incorporated many ideas from the article and backed them up using data and facts. She also did a great job of coming up with questions to ask after reading the article. These questions were thought provoking and left the reader interested in the topic. Finally, Julia did a great job of using her language and tone to make the review interesting. It was well-worded and because of this was an enjoyable review to read.
Although her review was written very well, there were a few aspects of it that could be improved. To take the review even further, Julia could have provided possible solutions to the pollution problem or ways to help. Also, although her use of questions to hook the readers attention was good, she shouldn't have ended the review that way. It leaves the reader feeling as though the ending was cut off or left open.
One thing that surprised me a lot was that people in Bronxville are affected by the pollution of cities. Because we are so close to New York City, the air we breathe is polluted and can be very harmful. This was surprising to learn and makes me want to learn more about the topic.