Pollution in the United States

As with many countries pollution in the United States is a concern for environmental organizations, government agencies and individuals.

Examples of land pollution include:

Air pollution is caused predominantly from, burning fossil fuels, cars and much more. Natural sources of air pollution include forest fires, volcanic eruptions, wind erosion, pollen dispersal, evaporation of organic compounds, and natural radioactivity. These natural sources of pollution often soon disperses and thins settling near its locale. However, major natural events such as volcanic activity can convey throughout the air spreading, thinning and settling over continents.Fossil fuel burning for heating, electrical generation, and in motor vehicles are responsible for about 90% of all air pollution in the United States.

In a report published in the November 12, 2008 online issue of Environmental Science and Technology, researchers found that freshwater pollution by phosphorus and nitrogen costs U.S. government agencies, drinking water facilities and individual Americans at least $4.3 billion annually. Of that, they calculated that $44 million a year is spent just protecting aquatic species from nutrient pollution.

The use of DDT and its consequences as a pollutant is attributed as sparking the environmental movement in the United States.

Worldwide there are numerous environmental organizations attempting to ban the use of polystyrene. One such organization in the U.S. is Californians Against Waste. The city of Berkeley, California, was one of the first cities in the world to ban polystyrene food packaging (called Styrofoam in the media announcements). It was also banned in Portland, Oregon and Suffolk County, New York in 1990. Now, over 20 US cities have banned polystyrene food packaging, including Oakland, California, on Jan 1, 2007.San Francisco introduced a ban on the packaging on June 1, 2007: Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin noted:

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