Air Pollution - Coursework Example

Air Pollution With the increase in the technological advancements in today’s world, man has moved ahead and progressed in the field of science and industry. These developments have raised many questions and concerns as they have led to alterations in the normal ecological setup of the world. The new developments in the world have led to encroachments into the unaltered arrangements of the universe. Pollution is one such example which has resulted due to many causes and it has many undesirable effects. The changes in the air and its contamination have led to an increase in the pollution of the air and this in turn has produced many unwanted results which have affected not only the environment but also human health (Park 2007, Jeremy et al 2010). According to the statistics of the World Health Organization in the year 2008, every year 2 million deaths can be attributed to air pollution. Not only this, air pollution has been linked to many health problems of the human beings and it has resulted in alterations in the atmosphere and led to environmental problems like global warming. This has called for the implementation of strategies to overcome the issue of air pollution so that the unwanted affects of this form of pollution can be overcome. It can also be analyzed that the reduction in the air pollution will result in the reduction of the health hazards that it poses. This paper will serve to explain the different causes of air pollution along with the different impacts that it lays on the environment and the human beings. It will further elaborate the methods that can be employed to overcome this issue. Air forms the environment of the earth with which all living beings are in direct contact. It is essential for the survival of all living beings and the existence of life on this planet is not possible without air. The transmission of sound is only possible through air and it is also a source of the major gases which are essential for the survival of living beings. It is a mixture of different gases which include mainly nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide and the percentage of these gases in the air is 78.1, 20.93 and 0.03 respectively. It has many essential functions which can be explained by the fact that survival processes which include respiration and combustion cannot occur in the absence of air. The close contact between the air and the human beings can be used as the basis to explain the fact that contamination of this air can have affects on the health of the living beings. The pollution of air can be defined as the contamination of the air which results in the alteration of the normal composition of air which can prove to be hazardous for the natural environment and can affect all the living beings. It can also result in climatic changes and hence create an imbalance in the ecological system of the planet (Park 2007, Jeremy et al 2010). Air pollution has been classified into two types that are indoor air pollution and outdoor air pollution. Outdoor pollution is led to by many causes. Industrialization can be considered to be a major contributor to the outdoor air pollution. The gases produced by the industry are harmful for the health of living beings. The vehicles as well as the burning of substances are another source of release of gases into the atmosphere and are contributors to the outdoor air pollution. Other processes which add contaminants to the air include the spraying of insecticide and pesticide sprays in the atmosphere or the release of contaminants due to leakage from nuclear power plants (Park 2007). Incineration is also another method which is used to burn solid waste. It is used in areas where sufficient land is not available for the purpose of discarding the solid waste. This method can serve as a reason for leading to air pollution (Baum & Parker 1973). Indoor air pollution has different underlying causes which include the utilization of coal, wood and oil as fuel for domestic purposes. This is particularly true for the developing countries where in rural areas; fossil fuels are utilized as fuels for domestic works. Passive smoking can also be counted to be another reason for this indoor pollution. A very good example which explains the harm of this indoor pollution is the tragedy that occurred in London in the year 1952 when many lives were lost as a result of the fire that spread from the use of coal for fire for indoor purposes (Park 2007). According to the World Health Organization, three billion people around the globe depend on coal, wood and dung for the purpose of provision of fire for indoor purposes. It has been classified by the WHO in the first ten hazards to the community health and in the year 2000, it accounted for the mortality of 1.5 million people and it was also the reason for 2.7% causes of diseases around the globe. Another important aspect of indoor air pollution is that it has a greater predisposition towards affecting the health of women and children which may be because of the fact that they are more commonly exposed to the indoor air pollutants (World Health Organization 2007). Though there are many air pollutants in the air, the major air pollutants include carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, lead, carbon dioxide, carbon compounds, cadmium, hydrogen sulphide and ozone. Industrial processes, fumes from motor vehicles along with the burning of fossil fuels are all contributors to these pollutants. Cigarette smoking is another contributor of these pollutants to the atmosphere (Park 2007). The impact that air pollution lays on the environment and human health cannot be ignored. It is the underlying cause for the destruction of the plants and animals. It is associated with acid rain due to the fact that sulphur dioxide and other gases from emissions join with the water vapor and in turn lead to acid rain. This rain is harmful for the buildings as it can destroy the infrastructure of the buildings and it also has the capability of decaying metals. Air pollution can also be a reason for smog which results due to the trapping of the contaminants in the lower layers of air and hence it results in decreased ability to view the roads and the surroundings. Many people around the globe are exposed to this contaminated air and this puts the health of these individuals at risk. It can be counted as the reason for many respiratory tract pathologies. Air pollution has been related to carcinoma of the lung. It has also been found to be associated with cataracts, tuberculosis as well as asthma. Cough and chronic bronchitis are also related to air pollution. Another very important finding is the correlation between the increased levels of sulphur dioxide with pathologies of the cardiovascular system (World Health Organization 2005, Robbins et al 2005, Park 2007). The adverse affects of air pollution has led to the analyzing of this issue as a matter of global concern. Measures have been supported and enacted so that the problem of air pollution can be overcome. The World Health Organization has put forward different ways which need to be implemented. The first method is referred to as containment. This method is aimed towards preventing the release of contaminated air into the atmosphere by means of ventilation and purification of the air. The other method is known as replacement. The principle of replacement is to change the problematic issue that is leading to air pollution. For example indoor air pollution can be avoided by promoting the use of electricity and gas over the use of burning of fossil fuels for energy. Another method is that of dilution which aims at separating the industrial zones from the cities and areas of residence. The last method is the implementation of legislations by the governments of the countries to overcome this problem of air pollution (Park 2007, Jeremy et al 2010). An example is that of the Clean Air Act in the United States which focuses on promoting efforts to control air pollution at all levels ranging from the state to the local authorities. This act works towards checking all the means that lead to the production of toxic contaminants in the air and working out policies for their maximum reduction (Environmental Protection Agency United States 2010) Thus, it can be understood that air pollution is a very important subject that needs to be dealt with. It has many underlying causes which include industries, smoking, burning of fossil fuels as well as emissions of motor vehicles. These causes lead to affect the environment and the health of the individuals as well. Thus combined efforts at all levels of society need to be taken to minimize the problem of air pollution. Works Cited Top of Form Baum, Bernard, and Charles H. Parker. Solid Waste Disposal. Ann Arbor, Mich: Ann Arbor Science Publishers, 1973. Print. Bottom of Form Environmental Protection Agency. United States. “Air Trends: Basic Information.” (2010) Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Kumar, Vinay, Abul K. Abbas, Nelson Fausto, Stanley L. Robbins, and Ramzi S. Cotran. Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders, 2005. Print. Bottom of Form Top of FormPark, K. Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine. India : M/s Banarsidas Bhanot, 2007. Print. Tiwary, Abhishek, Jeremy Colls, and Jeremy Colls. Air Pollution: Measurement, Modelling and Mitigation. London: Routledge, 2010. Print. Bottom of Form World Health Organization. “Indoor Air Pollution: National Burden of Disease Estimates.” (2007). World Health Organization. “Air Quality and Health: Fact Sheet.” (2008) World Health Organization. “Indoor Air Pollution and Health: Fact Sheet” (2005) Read More