n is mostly caused by automobile emissions, this is not necessarily the case. Many of the gases that were mentioned above do come from automobiles, but they also come from incinerators, power plants, construction sights, etc. In fact, the pollutant that seems to cause the most harmful effects on humans is the coarse particulate matter. Surprisingly, scientists discovered that the hospitalizations of many people, as a result of air pollution, were more closely connected with increases in the amounts of coarse (large particles in the air that came mainly from grit blown from unpaved roads and construction areas) particles suspended in the air (Dreher 1998). Mostly, they amount to small, unnoticed changes in lung tissue that build up over time, possibly leading to earlier onset of lung disease and shorter lifespans (Brennan 1993). This shows that it is very important to take precautions as to avoiding long exposure to areas consisting of dusty dirt roads and construction sights.Air pollution not only affects human health, it also affects the health of our environment. "Air pollution damages water ways, destroys trees, and clouds views in many of America's national parks (Tennesen 1997)." The National Park Service (NPS) has no authority over pollution that comes from outside park boundaries. Therefore, they can only try to make the surrounding areas aware of the problems emanating from the pollution.Air pollution has begun to seriously affect our national parks. From the Great Smoky Mountains to the Grand Canyon, the pollution can easily, and often does travel hundreds of miles. So, even though the pollution is not necessarily occurring in the areas of the parks, it is still travelling there from miles away. "Though the problem is worse in the East--affecting plant life as well as visibility--air pollution is a factor in virtually every park in the United States (Tennesen 1997)."Although the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is some 30 mi...
