Question
For each variable, decide whether the data goes up, goes down, or neither the farther you get from the roadway:
Cardiovascular disease: The prevalence of cardiovascular disease happens to go down the further you get from the roadway. This is the reason that proximity to the roadways most times correlates with higher exposure to air pollution, which then leads to cardiovascular problems.
Lung function: Lung function generally goes up the further you get from the roadway. Further distance from roadways typically means reduced exposure to pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, which can impair lung function.
Childhood emergency room visits for asthma: The amount of childhood emergency room visits happens to go down the further you get from the roadway. The roadway pollution can trigger asthma symptoms, so living further away usually results in fewer asthma-related emergencies.
COPD: The severity of COPD usually goes down the further you get from the roadway. Lastly, similar to other respiratory conditions, reduced exposure to traffic-related air pollutants can lower the risk or severity of COPD.
For each variable, decide whether the health outcome gets better (healthier), worse (less healthy), or neither the farther away you get from the roadway. Remember, just because a number goes up or down doesn’t mean it’s getting better or worse:
Cardiovascular disease: Health outcomes having to do with cardiovascular disease generally get better the further away a person gets from the roadway. This improvement is due to decreased exposure to air pollutants, such as particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, which are known risk factors for cardiovascular problems. As distance from the roadway increases, the likelihood of developing cardiovascular conditions decreases.
Lung function: Lung function happens to improve the further away you get from the roadway. Proximity to roadways most times means higher exposure to pollutants that can impair respiratory health, so moving further away typically results in improved lung function. Cleaner air leads to healthier respiratory systems and better overall lung capacity.
Childhood emergency room visits for asthma: The health outcome having to do with childhood emergency room visits for asthma improves the further you get away from the roadway. Roadway pollution can trigger asthma attacks that lead to more frequent emergency room visits. By living far away from these pollution sources, children experience fewer asthma attacks, which results in improved health results.
COPD: When it comes down to health outcomes having to do with COPD it is also better when the person is further away from the roadway. Exposure to traffic-related air pollutants can make COPD symptoms worse, so increased distance from roadways happens to lead to reduction in symptom severity and frequency. Lastly, cleaner air contributes to better management and quality of life for people with COPD.
For each variable, decide how big the difference in health outcome is between the 200-foot health outcomes and the 1,000-foot health outcomes (ex. what is the difference in the numbers?). Write the difference as a part of a complete sentence (ex. the cardiovascular disease rate is <blank> percent lower/higher at less than 200 feet away compared to 1,000 or more feet away.)
Cardiovascular disease: The cardiovascular disease rate is generally lower at 1,000 feet away compared to less than 200 feet away. Studies show that exposure to traffic-related air pollution significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular problems, with people living closer to roadways experiencing higher rates. While exact percentages differentiate by study, it is common to see a noticeable reduction in risk as distance from the roadway increases.
Lung function: Lung function is mostly better at 1,000 feet away compared to less than 200 feet away. Proximity to roadways is associated with reduced lung capacity due to pollutants, so people living further away typically go through more improved respiratory health. The difference in lung function can be noticeable, reflecting cleaner air and reduced exposure to harmful emissions.
Childhood emergency room visits for asthma: Childhood emergency room visits for asthma are generally lower at 1,000 feet away rather than less than 200 feet away. Children living closer to roadways are more likely to go through asthma symptoms due to higher pollutant levels, leading to more emergency room visits. The reduction in visits at greater distances focuses on the impact of decreased exposure to traffic-related pollutants.
COPD: COPD symptoms are usually lower at 1,000 feet away compared to less than 200 feet away. People residing closer to roadways come across higher exposure to pollutants that can worsen COPD, while those further away benefit from cleaner air. Finally, this difference shows the importance of minimizing exposure to traffic emissions for better COPD management.
Create graphs of each variable using graph paper provided by your teacher, or use a computer to make your graphs.
Conclusions
Based on these data, and other things you have learned throughout this investigation, do you think that living near a major roadway poses a health risk to humans? Write a claim-evidence-reasoning statement to make an argument based on your research. Use the guide below to help with your statement:
Claim: Your claim should answer the question about whether living near a roadway poses a health risk.
Evidence: Your evidence should use data from the activity to support your claim.
Reasoning: Your reasoning should explain how your evidence supports your claim. It should answer the question: how can living near a roadway affect a person’s health? You will need to use information you learned earlier in the investigation for your reasoning.
Cardiovascular disease: The prevalence of cardiovascular disease happens to go down the further you get from the roadway. This is the reason that proximity to the roadways most times correlates with higher exposure to air pollution, which then leads to cardiovascular problems.
Lung function: Lung function generally goes up the further you get from the roadway. Further distance from roadways typically means reduced exposure to pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, which can impair lung function.
Childhood emergency room visits for asthma: The amount of childhood emergency room visits happens to go down the further you get from the roadway. The roadway pollution can trigger asthma symptoms, so living further away usually results in fewer asthma-related emergencies.
COPD: The severity of COPD usually goes down the further you get from the roadway. Lastly, similar to other respiratory conditions, reduced exposure to traffic-related air pollutants can lower the risk or severity of COPD.
For each variable, decide whether the health outcome gets better (healthier), worse (less healthy), or neither the farther away you get from the roadway. Remember, just because a number goes up or down doesn’t mean it’s getting better or worse:
Cardiovascular disease: Health outcomes having to do with cardiovascular disease generally get better the further away a person gets from the roadway. This improvement is due to decreased exposure to air pollutants, such as particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, which are known risk factors for cardiovascular problems. As distance from the roadway increases, the likelihood of developing cardiovascular conditions decreases.
Lung function: Lung function happens to improve the further away you get from the roadway. Proximity to roadways most times means higher exposure to pollutants that can impair respiratory health, so moving further away typically results in improved lung function. Cleaner air leads to healthier respiratory systems and better overall lung capacity.
Childhood emergency room visits for asthma: The health outcome having to do with childhood emergency room visits for asthma improves the further you get away from the roadway. Roadway pollution can trigger asthma attacks that lead to more frequent emergency room visits. By living far away from these pollution sources, children experience fewer asthma attacks, which results in improved health results.
COPD: When it comes down to health outcomes having to do with COPD it is also better when the person is further away from the roadway. Exposure to traffic-related air pollutants can make COPD symptoms worse, so increased distance from roadways happens to lead to reduction in symptom severity and frequency. Lastly, cleaner air contributes to better management and quality of life for people with COPD.
For each variable, decide how big the difference in health outcome is between the 200-foot health outcomes and the 1,000-foot health outcomes (ex. what is the difference in the numbers?). Write the difference as a part of a complete sentence (ex. the cardiovascular disease rate is <blank> percent lower/higher at less than 200 feet away compared to 1,000 or more feet away.)
Cardiovascular disease: The cardiovascular disease rate is generally lower at 1,000 feet away compared to less than 200 feet away. Studies show that exposure to traffic-related air pollution significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular problems, with people living closer to roadways experiencing higher rates. While exact percentages differentiate by study, it is common to see a noticeable reduction in risk as distance from the roadway increases.
Lung function: Lung function is mostly better at 1,000 feet away compared to less than 200 feet away. Proximity to roadways is associated with reduced lung capacity due to pollutants, so people living further away typically go through more improved respiratory health. The difference in lung function can be noticeable, reflecting cleaner air and reduced exposure to harmful emissions.
Childhood emergency room visits for asthma: Childhood emergency room visits for asthma are generally lower at 1,000 feet away rather than less than 200 feet away. Children living closer to roadways are more likely to go through asthma symptoms due to higher pollutant levels, leading to more emergency room visits. The reduction in visits at greater distances focuses on the impact of decreased exposure to traffic-related pollutants.
COPD: COPD symptoms are usually lower at 1,000 feet away compared to less than 200 feet away. People residing closer to roadways come across higher exposure to pollutants that can worsen COPD, while those further away benefit from cleaner air. Finally, this difference shows the importance of minimizing exposure to traffic emissions for better COPD management.
Create graphs of each variable using graph paper provided by your teacher, or use a computer to make your graphs.
Conclusions
Based on these data, and other things you have learned throughout this investigation, do you think that living near a major roadway poses a health risk to humans? Write a claim-evidence-reasoning statement to make an argument based on your research. Use the guide below to help with your statement:
Claim: Your claim should answer the question about whether living near a roadway poses a health risk.
Evidence: Your evidence should use data from the activity to support your claim.
Reasoning: Your reasoning should explain how your evidence supports your claim. It should answer the question: how can living near a roadway affect a person’s health? You will need to use information you learned earlier in the investigation for your reasoning.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
**Claim:** Living near a major roadway poses a significant health risk to humans.
**Evidence:** Data shows that various health outcomes correlate strongly with proximity to roadways. For instance, cardiovascular disease rates are lower at 1,000 feet away compared to those living less than 200 feet away, indicating that closer proximity increases health risks associated with air pollution. Similarly, lung function improves the further away a person lives from the road, revealing a direct relationship between distance and respiratory health. Moreover, the frequency of childhood emergency room visits for asthma decreases significantly as one moves away from roadways, demonstrating that pollutants from traffic contribute to more severe health outcomes in children. Lastly, individuals with COPD experience worsened symptoms when living close to roadways, further highlighting the detrimental effects of traffic-related air pollution.
**Reasoning:** The evidence indicates a clear trend: as the distance from major roadways increases, health outcomes improve significantly. This correlation can be attributed to reduced exposure to harmful air pollutants, such as particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, found in vehicle emissions. These pollutants have been scientifically linked to increased rates of cardiovascular disease, impaired lung function, and exacerbated respiratory conditions like asthma and COPD. Thus, living closer to roadways increases exposure to these harmful substances, ultimately leading to poorer overall health. The data supports the assertion that minimizing proximity to major roadways is essential for reducing health risks and improving quality of life.
**Evidence:** Data shows that various health outcomes correlate strongly with proximity to roadways. For instance, cardiovascular disease rates are lower at 1,000 feet away compared to those living less than 200 feet away, indicating that closer proximity increases health risks associated with air pollution. Similarly, lung function improves the further away a person lives from the road, revealing a direct relationship between distance and respiratory health. Moreover, the frequency of childhood emergency room visits for asthma decreases significantly as one moves away from roadways, demonstrating that pollutants from traffic contribute to more severe health outcomes in children. Lastly, individuals with COPD experience worsened symptoms when living close to roadways, further highlighting the detrimental effects of traffic-related air pollution.
**Reasoning:** The evidence indicates a clear trend: as the distance from major roadways increases, health outcomes improve significantly. This correlation can be attributed to reduced exposure to harmful air pollutants, such as particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, found in vehicle emissions. These pollutants have been scientifically linked to increased rates of cardiovascular disease, impaired lung function, and exacerbated respiratory conditions like asthma and COPD. Thus, living closer to roadways increases exposure to these harmful substances, ultimately leading to poorer overall health. The data supports the assertion that minimizing proximity to major roadways is essential for reducing health risks and improving quality of life.