The Disastrous Effects on World Environment and Health - Research Paper Example

?Air Pollution: The Disastrous Effects on World Environment and Health Pollution is defined as the presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance of thing that has harmful or poisonous effect. The introduction of harmful chemicals issuing from industries, particulate matter including dust particles, biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans, animals and plants or tend to destroy the natural environment, into the air is called Air Pollution. The atmosphere around us is made up of various different gases which have been mixed by nature in specific ratios to create a dynamic natural gaseous system which possesses the various vital characteristics necessary to support life on Earth. The disturbances created in the composition and physical characteristics of the atmospheric air by various air pollutants causes various threats to human health and the ecosystem. The issue of Air Pollution has is not new and was part of the environmental crisis that started with the industrial revolution however the situation today is far more complicated and critical as compared to 50 years back with environmental pollutants causing problems like ozone depletion, global warming and acid rain (Wark, Warner, Davis). Air pollution is almost impossible to contain because of its ability to spread rapidly over a large area. Air pollutants are of various kinds with different physical characteristics and chemical properties and have varying effects on the environment and human health. The various environmental issues are inter-related for example the issue of global warming is aggravated by the increased ozone depletion due to various environmental pollutants. The various environment protection bodies including the United Nations Environmental Program is taking various steps to prevent air pollution and reduce the use of several different chemicals and process which result in air pollution. The UNEP issues regular recommendations to the governments for passing legislation for eradicating the use of harmful chemicals and industrial processes which contribute to environmental pollution. The various other initiatives taken by international environmental protection bodies and agencies include the Kyoto Protocol, the Montreal Protocol and carbon footprint reduction programs but these efforts have not achieved the desired objectives till date. The situation of air pollution is worsening every other day primarily because of the lack of awareness among common people about the adverse effects of various daily life products they use and their activities which pollute the environment. People are concerned about an issue when they have to face the consequences but in case of air pollution, there are cases in which the pollution is caused by the activities of one region while people of other regions have to face the consequences, for instance the Scandinavian regions are affected when the European countries of the south pollute air, similar is the case with the harmful chemicals issued by the industries in China which pollute the Japanese regions (White, Beal). The sand storms in North Africa are responsible for red rains in Europe across the Mediterranean. So the issue of air pollution is a global issue and must be dealt by all the nations of the world collectively but the overall scenario of the world regarding the environmental protection is not very encouraging because the countries only think about their own interests and do not act to solve the problems globally because most of the countries are not willing to sacrifice their economical benefits for the environmental protection cause. Pollutants in the air a serious environmental issue because the society today is highly industrialized and the various harmful chemicals like radon, lead, asbestos, ozone, carbon monoxide etc. which have been classified as environmental pollutants are issuing from various industries. The various air pollutants are discussed in the following paragraphs. Carbon Monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas which is fatal for humans if inhaled in concentrations exceeding 5000 ppm. Carbon monoxide reacts with hemoglobin in the blood to for carboxy hemoglobin as hemoglobin has a greater affinity for carbon monoxide as compared to oxygen. This hampers the supply of oxygen to various tissues in the body which can prove to be detrimental for the human body and most of the time results in sudden death. CO is produced as a result of incomplete oxidation of carbon. The natural sources of production of CO include the conversion of methane produced by microorganisms into CO by ultraviolet rays. But the major cause of production of CO is the burning of fossil fuels, leaves, wood for transportation and for the production of heat and electricity for industry. Some of the processes involved in solid waste disposal, if not carried out properly also contribute to the production of CO. Hazardous Air Pollutants are the air toxins which have been identified by the USEPA and UNEP as harmful to human health. These include asbestos, arsenic, benzene, coke, mercury, beryllium etc which causes various diseases of lungs, liver and kidneys. The sources of these pollutants are very diverse and include combustion of fossil fuels, refining of crude oil to produce petroleum products, metal processing, waste water management, agriculture chemical and fertilizers production etc. Lead is another pollutant which causes various diseases of almost all the organs of the human body because it is inhaled and absorbed in blood from where it is transferred to various organs of the body. Volcanic activity and airborne soil are primary natural sources of atmospheric lead which is also added to the air by smelters and refining processes (Bradstreet). Similarly nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide are two gases which have been termed as air pollutants and are being added to the atmosphere through industrial activities. Photochemical oxidants which cause eye irritation and various chronic respiratory diseases are added to the environment due to atmospheric reactions. The reactions are initiated as a result of absorption of ultraviolet rays and photons by oxygen and other atomic elements present in the atmospheric air. After discussing briefly the various chemical agents which have been termed as the air pollutants it can be easily said that the major cause of air pollution is the rapid and unchecked industrialization. The issue of industrialization can only be resolved globally when various countries would think about common solutions to the problems posed by these air pollutants. The various problems faced by the world as a result of increased concentrations of the above mentioned pollutants in the atmosphere are discussed below. The residents of urban areas particularly in the cold regions spend most of their time indoors and the indoor pollution levels are substantially high as compared to outdoors in a few areas. The high levels of indoor air pollution are due to the chemicals issuing form consumer goods and construction materials like pressed wood, insulation materials and textiles. Volatile Organic Compounds and Formaldehyde are the most common indoor air pollutants (Pluschke). Pollutants like chromium, cadmium and lead compounds are present in the indoor air due to their high percentages in the paints and varnishes which are commonly used in construction and furniture finishing works. Smoking by the inhabitants of a building adds carcinogenic compounds to the indoor air. The governments in almost all the countries of the world do not have any legislation or regulatory effort for the reduction of the amount of indoor air pollutants. The dwellers in urban areas do not have the scientific and technical awareness about the kind of threat they are facing to their health due to indoor air pollutants. The problem of indoor air pollution is a very complex issue which requires a series of measures to be taken by the governmental bodies, international environment protection agencies and the common people. The most important step to be taken is the formulation of codes and standards for the use of environment friendly and sustainable materials in construction practices. The governmental authorities should formulate laws to ensure environmentally safe practices in construction and manufacturing processes. The housing developmental and regulatory authorities should provide recommendations and guidelines for efficient ventilation and air conditioning systems. Moreover programs should be initiated to improve the habits of the inhabitants so that they may not contribute to the air pollution by their activities like smoking. Acid rain is a phenomenon in which rain water is converted into acid while falling through chemical reactions with the oxides of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur present in the air. The normal rain water has a pH of 5.6 and is acidic in nature due to the formation of carbonic acid when carbon dioxide dissolves in water but this rain is not harmful to human health (Petheram). The acid rain due to the nitrogen and sulfur oxides have very low pH and can result in various disorders of human body, can cause damage to buildings and also affect the agricultural lands and crops in the region where it falls. The vehicle and thermal power station emissions are the biggest contributors of sulfur and nitrogen oxides to the air. The governmental bodies in various countries should check the amount of these harmful chemicals in fossil fuels and should ensure the use of equipment and gadgets like catalytic convertors to ensure that the emissions issued from vehicles and power houses are not harmful for the air. Ozone depletion is being caused by the use of harmful chemicals which include refrigerants and aerosols like CFCs (chloro floro carbons) These chemical compounds travel high in the atmosphere and react with ozone and is converted to molecular oxygen resulting in the formation of holes in the ozone layer which stops harful ultraviolet rays from entering the atmosphere. The solution to this problem is the use of a combination of hydrocarbons as a replacement to CFCs. Various countries have already outlawed the use of CFCs. The greenhouse effect of various heavy gases like carbon dioxide and the increased combustion of fossil fuels have created the issue of global warming and the temperature of the world is increasing every year. The adverse affects includes the melting of glaciers, rise in the levels of oceans and extinction of various animals and plant species which were very useful for the ecosystem and also had many medical uses. Various steps have been taken by the governments of various countries and international organizations to reduce the carbon footprint, of which Kyoto Protocol is considered the biggest but the implementation has not been ensured. The solution lies with the highly industrialized and powerful states and they should sign and ratify environment protection treaties like the Kyoto Protocol to safeguard and preserve the world environment (Silverstein). The issue of air pollution is of significant importance and we are at a very critical stage in this regard because the level of pollutants in the air are very high in all over the world and with the rapid industrialization and exploitation of fossil fuels the situation is only worsening. The issue of air pollution is a global issue and all the nations of the world should come forward and join hands to carve out solutions to the problems. In order to save the whole ecosystem from being destroyed, the emissions from various industries and means of transportation need to be checked and controlled. Works Cited Bradstreet, Jeffery. Hazardous Air Pollutants: assessment, liabilities and regulatory compliance. N.p.: William Andrew, 1995. Print. Petheram, Louis. Acid Rain. N.p.: Capstone Press, 2002. Print. Pluschke, Peter. Indoor Air Pollution. N.p.: Springer, 2004. Print. Silverstein, Alvin, et al. Global Warming. Rev. ed. N.p.: Twenty First Century Books, 2009. Print. Wark, Kenneth, Cecil Warner, and Wayne Davis. Air Pollution: its origin and control. N.p.: Addison-Wesley, 1998. Print. White, James, and Carol Beal. Acid Rain: the relationship between sources and receptors. N.p.: Springer, 1998. Print.     Read More