Unit 1: The Body.(Brief Article)

Background Bonus

Pollution is a major environmental problem that affects body strength and general health. According to a Harvard University study, about 5 percent of the deaths in any polluted U.S. city each year are linked to the presence of acidic particles in the air. Another study found that particle pollution causes an estimated 60,000 premature deaths of U.S. residents each year, a death toll higher than that from some forms of cancer. This figure includes childhood deaths from respiratory problems, such as asthma.

Ordinary people often feel helpless in the fight against air pollution, but there are ways everyone can help: Drive less; walk or ride a bike when you can; use less electricity so that the plants that generate electricity pollute the air less; recycle aluminum and glass; it takes much less energy and time for factories to use recycled materials than to start with raw materials.

Unit Objectives

Students learn to

* understand how pollution harms their bodies;

* explain the workings of the heart;