The Negative Externalities of Smog
Today with our carefree lifestyle and large population many do not stop to think about the amount of pollution we are exposing ourselves to. When you think of smog your think of large cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Houston. But just 20 miles outside of Bakersfield in Arvin, Ca. pollution is a big deal. Arvin was once said to have “the worst air in the nation.” This smog creates and negative externality to all of the area’s population, such as the migrant field workers that live in Arvin.
When a market outcome affects parties other than the buyers and sellers in the market, side-effects are created called externalities. In this case smog and pollution are caused by a number of different hosts (Arvin). Smog is made in two different kinds of pollution. We all dump smog into the air through emissions when we use our cars, factories burn fuels, and power plants. Other gases are released by the use of paint, gasoline, and other chemicals. Two kinds of pollution mix in the presence of sunlight and smog is created (Watson). When the impact on the bystander is adverse, the externality is called a negative externality. The smog created by our cars, agriculture, factories, and overall way of life produce negative externalities for over half of the US population. These negative externalities play in role in our health and the health of generations to come. These problems have a very strong effect on our own community.
The Environmental Protection Agency reported that Arvin’s level of ozone exceeded the acceptable levels for an average of 73 days a year between 2004 and 2006 (Arvin). Particle Pollutants can come from fireplaces, automobiles, and agriculture (Llanos). Smog season generally runs from May to October, or April to September in some areas (KNBC). Ozone commonly known as smog tends to rise in the summer. In the summer of 2001 ozone levels exceeded the national 8-hour standard 4,634 times...