Introduction
The Clean Air Act is one of the most important federal laws in the US designed to protect the environment and nature. Implementation date — the Act was enacted in America in the 1970s to regulate air pollution due to emissions from various sources (The clean air act, n.d.).
The reason for creating the Act is the inability to fully address a wide range of environmental issues through other, irrelevant laws. The Act mandated the National Environmental Protection Agency to form a National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) that sets the allowable emissions from stationary and mobile sources into the environment (Progress cleaning, n.d.). The organization that evaluates full compliance with the Act is Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Real and Potential Impact on Patients
The potential impact of the Act — eradication, destruction and prevention of the development of risks of complications, such as cataracts of the eyes, as well as premature death.
The potential impact of the Act — fewer diseases and longer life; improved quality of patients’ life and general health. Thus, the Act’s performance has helped lower lead, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and other toxic substances. The real impact of the Act — a large proportion of American patients, as a rule, do not have heart and lung diseases.
The real impact of the Act — is a tendency to reduce the risk of developing respiratory diseases and infections. It is easier for patients and their families to breathe American air (The clean air act, n.d.). Reducing emissions plays a crucial role in protecting the ozone layer and purifying people’s air (Ozone and your health, 2021).
Current Politics Regarding Environmental Protection: Current Situation, Negative and Positive Opinions
Who supports?
- Scientific advisors for EPA’s blue-ribbon are the stakeholders who had shown support for the Clean Air Act;
- The Baden administration, environmentalists, and public health advocates endorse the EPA concept and note its important role in patient protection (Asadnabizade, 2021).
Who opposes?
- Such “polluters” as the Trump Administration, as well as Republican leaders, express their disagreement and concern with the principles of the EPA Act (Biesecker, 2018);
- Representatives of various coal companies and firms that run exclusively on fossil fuels or operate in the energy sector “attacked” the Clean Air Act.
What are the political ramifications?
- The Clean Air Act has been in effect throughout the country and individual states for more than 50 years (Overview of the clean air act, n.d.).
- During this time, many amendments and adjustments have been made according to America’s higher management requirements.
- Due to the diligence of concerned citizens, the Act by Congress continues to reduce environmental pollution and protect patients from asthma, cancer, lung, and heart diseases.
Proposed Action
Several papers from ARNP Professional organizations as ANA actively involve nurses in the decision-making process when developing environmental policy within current plans.
Moreover, these documents offer nurses ample opportunities to acquire professional knowledge, skills, and competencies in providing services to patients (American Nurses Association, 2007).
Through their union, they also suggest a need for nurses’ input in chemicals and products used in the healthcare setting.
The study revealed that more than 50% of NPs, including FNPs, discuss with their patients the effects of polluted air on the body (Mirabelli et al., 2018). These workers make every effort to protect people from negative factors affecting the lungs, heart, and general condition of the body. Nevertheless, there is a need for more improved, improved, and systematic training of medical professionals on patient interaction with the environment.
Discussion and Conclusions: The Nature of Sources
Summarizing the above, the sources cited in this work are based on scientific research, proving their credibility.
The references explain the nature, essence, and evolution of the Clean Air Act, as well as the roles of the EPA in implementing the Act (Progress cleaning, n.d.).
They also clarify the positive impact the Clean Air Act has had on society based on the scientific studies on the pollutant over time.
In addition, the knowledge used allows us to make clear ideas about current measures and how nurse practitioners help combat the problem.
References
American Nurses Association. (2007). ANA’s principles of environmental health for nursing practice with implementation strategies. American Nurses Association. Web.
Asadnabizadeh, M. (2021). US president Joe Biden’s administration: A new US climate change agenda (US CCA). Journal of Politics and Law, 14(3), p. 124. Web.
Biesecker, M. (2018). EPA ends clean air policy opposed by fossil fuel interests. The Associated Press. Web.
Mirabelli, M. C., Damon, S. A., Beavers, S. F., & Sircar, K. D. (2018). Patient–provider discussions about strategies to limit air pollution exposures. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 55(2), e49-e52. Web.
Overview of the clean air act and air pollution. (n.d.). EPA. Web.
Ozone and your health. (2019). CDC. Web.
Progress is cleaning the air and improving people’s health. (n.d.). EPA. Web.
The clean air act. (2010). Union of Concerned Scientists. Web.