Ecology of Increasing Disease - Essay Example

Environmental pollution results in undesirable changes and conditions for all the organisms in the ecosystem and this comes with effects that are more adverse to life systems in general. The environment is also divided into components that are affected by pollution and they include the air, soil, and water; this gives rise to the various types of pollution namely air, soil, and water pollution. Pollutants are introduced in the environment as byproducts of human activities such as industrialization, deforestation, and farming- these activities release harmful residues into the environment thus causing pollution. For instance, farmers apply pesticides for purposes of boosting Agricultural outputs on their farms, but this often leads to pollution as the pesticides always find their way into the air, water, and soil resulting in contamination. In this regard, pesticides contribute to air pollution, water pollution, and soil pollution thereby destabilizing the natural equilibrium in the ecosystem.

In the course of applying pesticides to crops, they may drift through the wind into other unintended areas, contaminating the air, and this affects life systems, which may encounter the residues of pesticides. Organisms for instance may ingest the pesticide residues that land on food or by breathing the particles suspended in the air. Pesticides find their way into water systems in a number of ways such as leaching through the soil; they may be carried through runoff water or eroding soil (Pimentel et.al 818), and they may accidentally spill into waterways. Pesticides that leach into groundwater sources lead to contamination- organisms that use such contaminated water are at risk of ingesting the pesticide residues in it, and this causes health problems (Singh et.al 96). Concerning soil pollution, continuous excessive use of pesticides may lead to accumulation of the pesticide residues in the soil thus contaminating it in the end; soils that are contaminated with pesticides are unhealthy and cannot sustain healthy living systems in the soil. This reduces the range of biodiversity in the soil as many organisms may not survive the pesticide residues in it- microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi arthropods are essential for quality soil.

Recent studies have associated a number of health complications with pesticide exposure and pesticide poisoning; such complications include neurological problems, reproductive problems, and certain types of cancer. The anthropogenic health risks involved by pesticides are varied depending on the type of pesticide used; for instance, organophosphates and carbamates have chronic effects on the nervous system (Pimentel et.al. 821), while other types of pesticides may cause cancer, affect the hormonal system or cause irritation of the skin and eyes.

Clearly, a healthy environment is essential for healthy living systems in the environment; environmental pollutants contribute to the prevalence of chronic diseases in the populations (Kyle et.al 447). Regulatory measures must be taken to protect and guard the environment in order to maintain stability in the ecosystem- this begins by addressing the issue of environmental pollution. Pesticides are harmful to the environment and care must be taken to ensure that they do not contaminate components of the environment- this will enhance the quality of life for all organisms, plants, animals, and human beings.