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Mexico City
recently went through an environmental crisis and now it is facing acid rain during the first rains of the season, which are a danger for the health of the inhabitants of the metropolitan area but it also represents an impact on the economy , as people are forced to pay for medical attention and a decrease in productivity as the result of worker absenteeism.
The city inhabitants are affected by pollution on different levels: a slight eye and throat irritation, and even severe respiratory diseases . The ones who are affected the most are vulnerable groups , such as children , the elderly , and sick people.
According to an analysis published by EL UNIVERSAL today, in the last three years, Mexico City has issued 20 environmental contingencies , the majority of them for high ozone levels and only four of them were the results of the presence of PM10 particles, which was the case behind the most recent environmental crisis . Mexico City has registered alarming levels that have doubled the suggested levels.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has linked exceeding the recommended air quality levels with a noticeable increase in mortality in the short term. This is why it has been said that nowadays, everything is carcinogenic , even the air we breathe. Experts have warned that the prolonged exposure to the pollutants present in the air can transform healthy tissue into tumor tissue, as well as hormonal alterations.
Implementing the use of unleaded gasoline and catalyzers in cars has reduced the emissions from combustion engines but these measures have a slight impact in the face of the disproportionate increase in the number of vehicles , which was the undesirable result of the verification and no-driving programs. Moreover, a recent series of forest fires, accidental or provoked, increases the number of pollutant particles in the air in the city, along with the lack of winds and rain, became an environmental crisis.
Mexico City inhabitant
s have become accustomed to believing that there is bad air quality only during environmental contingency days but the truth is the measurement standards adopted by Mexico are much laxer than those established by the WHO.
In reality, the physical integrity of those who inhabit the city is being much more compromised than we thought, therefore, authorities and society have to acknowledge that harsher measures are required.
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