Ask A Scientist© Environmental Science Archive

Author:      pamela a mcdermott
How or what are some ways we can get rid of air and water pollution?

Response #:  1 of 1
Author:      mortis
Good question.  One of the quickest ways you can cut back on air pollution is 
to drive your car less, or ask your parents to drive less and use less 
polluting alternatives like busing, walking, or bicycling whenever possible.  
The less we pollute, the easier it is for Earth's natural systems to clear the 
air and water.  Of course there are as many solutions to pollution problems as 
there are sources of pollution.  One very common solution is to put some kind 
of filter at the source - like "smoke-stack scrubbers" at electric power 
plants, or catalytic converters on your car.  One of the greatest air-
pollution success stories is the ban on lead in gasoline.  By taking lead out 
of gasoline, less lead is spewed into the air, and average levels of lead in 
children's blood have been steadily falling since the ban went into effect.

You can learn more about pollution by writing for a booklet called "What You 
Can do to Reduce Air Pollution" (order number 144A) send $1.25 to R. Woods, 
Consumer information Center - 4A, PO Box 100, Pueblo, CO 81002.  Another good 
book to look for in your bookstore or library is "50 Simple Things You Can do 
to Save The Earth", by the Earth Works Group and published in 1989.