Water and Air Pollution in Shanghai China - Article Example

? Water and Air Pollution in Shanghai China Introduction Water and air pollution are very common and have raised a lot ofissues in many places and jurisdictions. They have the potential to cause irreversible damage to the environment and to human beings as well. Air and water pollution in Shanghai is caused mainly by industrialization and the rapid increase in population. Air pollution levels are through the roof and the water in most parts is not safe for drinking. Water and air pollution in Shanghai, China, has been of great concern to the government, environmentalists and the general public, as the effects continue to affect the environment while many people have gotten incurable diseases and some have died as a result of the two and addressing the issue can be of great importance to the environment, the population and the country. Causes of Air and Water Pollution in Shanghai Coal Coal has been used in China for many centuries. Historians believe that coal in China was used as early as 1000 B.C. since then, it has been a major source of energy in China. Currently, China is the largest producer of coal producing an approximately three billion tons. China consumes more than one billion tons of coal for production of energy. In fact, about 70% of Chinese energy is from coal. Energy is produced by burning the coal. This process leads to a number of by products including smog, soot, carbonaceous gases, methane, sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides. These gases are the major causes of air pollution in Shanghai and around China. Coal mining and combustion around Shanghai produces about 37% of air pollution (United Nations Technical Cooperation, 12). Coal use has also been associated with water pollution through several ways. Coal plants use large amounts of water for cooling the plant. Water is also used in these plants to remove impurities that may affect the combustion of coal. The water used has to be released at some point. The water may come into contact with the products and byproducts of coal for example methane, arsenic and particulates. At the same time, the rains may wash out some heavy metal compounds from coal. Coal is usually stored just outside the coal mines and is not covered in most cases (U.S Environmental Protection Agency 5). Whether water is released to a safe disposal place or not it has to find its way to the main water bodies in some way. It can be through run off after rains or through seepage through the rocks in the adjacent areas. Also, sulfur dioxides produced during the production of energy from coal forms a layer of cloud above the earth and leads to acid rain after precipitation landing on vegetation and water bodies. Environmentalists also believe that the particulates formed and aerosols are dispersed by wind and end up in the water bodies contaminating the water (Smil 233). Industrialization Shanghai is one of the largest industrial cities and ports in the world. There are more than 10,000 large industries in the city of varying products and services. All these industries have waste which has to be dumped off at some point. As of 1999, industrial waste in Shanghai was estimated to be at 999 million tones per year. 93% of the waste were treated by the rest remained untreated posing a possible pollutant to the environment. Domestic waste on the other hand was estimated to be 380,550 tones within the same period. The monitoring institution stated that most of the waste contained oils and dangerous chemicals which found their way into the water sources (Huizhen 3). Industrial waste and domestic waste in Shanghai has been on the increase since 1997. Many industries have been established and the existing ones have to cope with the increased demand for the various products. The industrial sector has been growing at an average of 11% per year from 1978 to 2008 in China. With Shanghai being one of the major industrial cities, the growth is expected to be around the same rate if not better. The rapid growth in the sector was attributed to by the cheap production factors and the availability of raw materials. The government of China encouraged industrialization when it realized that China had what industries were looking for. The Chinese administrations in the 1980s and 1990s were very aggressive in encouraging industrialization. As a result, industrial production output in China increased from three billion Yuan in 1985 to a whooping One trillion Yuan in 2008 (Bei 4). Industrial growth and development in Shanghai is expected to increase rapidly in this decade and the preceding decades. Currently, there are many proposals to construct industries around Shanghai to cater for the ever rising demand for industrial products. This is expected to increase the industrial waste of which a percentage of it, will not bes treated at all. Assuming that the waste produced increases at the same rate as industrial production, the total waste would amount to more than three billion tons currently. At the same time, the population has been increasing and so have been the households. Domestic waste increases as well and a percentage is not treated as well. Industrial production also has an impact on the quality of air around Shanghai. Most industries emit gases like carbon dioxide, nitrogen, phosphorus, other gases and particulates. The air quality in Shanghai is about three to four times worse that the recommended standard of 150,000 particulates in every liter of air. At three times, the particulates would amount to more than five hundred thousand particulates per liter of air. Some industries are known to emit more particulates than others. The coal industry, which is one of the largest in China, emits a lot of carbon dioxide to the environment. This industry is also associated with the emission of mercury, sulfur dioxide and smog (Bei 9). Increased Population The population of Shanghai was more than twenty three million people by the end of the year 2012. That was more than forty percent increase of the population compared with the 1994 statistics. Births expected in Shanghai are approximately 180,000 per year since 2011. This would play a role in increasing the population of Shanghai in addition to the immigrants. Shanghai attracts many immigrants every year. In fact, it is estimated that a third of the population in the city is made up of immigrants (Liu 1). s The increased population comes with its own disadvantages for instance increase in air pollution. In this age, there are many things that are used that emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. For example, computers which are in almost every household release a lot of emissions more than most people would imagine. A computer connected to a printer is capable of emitting as much as 175 kilograms of carbon dioxide every year. Assuming that a third of the houses in Shanghai have computers, that would translate to about 13 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide per year from computers only. Other gadgets that use electricity also play a role in increasing greenhouse emissions. In fact, the international geosphere and the biosphere program estimates that 37.4% of total emissions in Shanghai are from electricity related use. Heat from these gadgets and others account to just below three percent (international geosphere and biosphere program 3). The increase in population also increases vehicle ownership. The demand for vehicles and other road transport channels increase. The total number of vehicles in Shanghai as of 2010 was at three million motor vehicles. The number of motor vehicle purchases has been increasing in the recent years. The Chinese government has been encouraging people to purchase small vehicles through the government led incentives. Percentage of vehicle ownership is expected to increase by 10-15% every year in the next decade. The high vehicle numbers in addition have played a critical role in increasing air pollution in Shanghai. A team from Tongji University in China measured the emissions from the light vehicles, which are the most common in Shanghai. The team confirmed that the hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides emitted by light vehicles in Shanghai were in the ranges 0.1 to 0.25 g/km; 4 to 7 g/km; and 0.4 to 0.8 g/km. These amounts are between 1.9 and 15 times of the emissions from light vehicles in the United States. The team conducted a study near the Tongji University and Hainan road for a period of one year to make these conclusions (Wang, Chen and Huang 4). In this study and several others that were done by other independent groups, it was found out that the constituent of the PM 2.5 varied in different times of the year. Emissions were highest from November to December and were little from June to September. Emissions were moderate from January through the start of June. Ammonium Sulfate was found to contribute 41% of the total PM 2.5 emissions with the majority of the percentage being Sulfate. Carbonaceous percentage was around 41% also and the largest percentage was made up of organic carbon. Other components like potassium and other PM 2.5 constituents were found to account for about 9% of the total composition (Ye et al 5). The United States Consulate in Shanghai China has been measuring particulate matter in some parts in Shanghai. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency claims that air pollution less than PM 2.5 is categorized as fine and may not have any health effects. On the other hand, particulates more than PM 2.5 are considered dangerous and may pose a great health risk to the people. The particulate measurement can be converted into an air quality index. Air Quality index reading 50 or below is considered safe and may not have any health effects. Figures above 50 pose health risks and the more the index; the more dangerous the health effects (Consulate General of the United States 3). Air pollution in Shanghai is undoubtedly high. Recent images from residents in the city show the city being foggy and hazy. On November 8th, just a week ago, images taken by Reuters confirmed the same. The buildings in downtown Shanghai were barely visible in the images taken. The air quality monitors used that day at different parts of the city indicated unimaginable levels of air pollution. According to Li, Amy 3, the air quality index was at 200 micrograms per cubic meter at 4 A.M in the morning and was at 255 micrograms per cubic meter by 8 P.M in the evening. The average air quality index that day was over 200 micrograms per cubic meter for a period of more than 24 hours. Comparing that air quality index with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the index was very unhealthy that day. The Shanghai education authorities alerted the schools that children avoid outdoor activities that day. People who have breathing problems and lung conditions and other adults and children are also advised to avoid outdoor activities on such days. That day made people from Shanghai, the rest of China and from other countries to comment that Shanghai is catching up with Beijing which has been adversely affected by air pollution for decades. In fact, such events are the norm in Beijing most times (Li 7). Pollution in Shanghai has now reached an all time high and environmentalists believe that this is an indication that something should be done seriously to mitigate pollution. This city has been named among the most polluted in China and in the world. Pollution is not likely to come to an end soon. The daily air quality monitor indicates that the air quality index today is at 160, which is already in the danger levels (Aqicn Organization 1). In fact, there are warnings that there could be smog and high pollution in the coming days. It is believed that the high polluted days will become a norm just like the city’s main competitor in terms of air pollution, Beijing. The Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center issues the warnings when levels of PM 2.5 go beyond 151 levels. The warnings are issued slowly making many people to be exposed to the high pollution states. In fact, environmentalists and health care officials alike point out that warning should be given much earlier to reduce exposure as much as possible (Yue 6). Wang et al (3) found out that most of the emissions were from buses, passenger vehicles and large trucks. As of the year 2012, only three million people in Shanghai owned private vehicles. The rest twenty million people have to use buses and other passenger vehicles to travel from place to place within the city. In fact, these two modes of transport account for more than 50% of the total emissions in Shanghai. Other vehicular vessels that contribute to emissions are motorcycles. They are very many motorcycles in this city and contribute to the high emissions. The large percentage of the emissions were carbonaceous compounds and nitrogenous compounds. While the nitrogenous have been declining in the last few years, the amount of carbon emission has been increasing. Implications of Water and Air Pollution Poor Health Water and air pollution have a lot of implications on the well being of people. Recently, doctors in Shanghai claimed that the high levels of pollution are the main cause of low infertility among men. A doctor in one of Shanghai’s leading health facilities pointed out that the condition is worsening. Two decades ago, the infertility rate in Shanghai and China was only three percent of the population. The percentage has gone up to 12 percent and the doctor blames it on the environmental changes due to pollution. The doctor claims that sperms changes in structure due to the pollution and cannot even swim for fertilization to take place. If they swim and get to the egg, they are not likely to fertilize the egg as their fertility is compromised. Continued exposure to pollution can lead to aspermia in which men are incapable of producing sperms at all. The doctor is worried that the people who depend on sperm banks to get children may not be able to have children in the near future. Currently, only thirty percent of the sperms in Shanghai Sperm Bank meet the required world standards (Morrison 6). Poor health has been associated with low life expectancy in Shanghai. Research indicates that a decrease of 10 milligrams of particulate matter, which is the most common pollutants, increases life expectancy by approximately 0.6 years. On the other hand, an increase in the pollutants like in the case of Shanghai reduces life expectancy by a higher margin than 0.6 years. Scientists have indicated that people living in Shanghai and other heavily polluted cities in China are likely to die five years younger compared to other large cities like Los Angeles, which is the most polluted in the United States. More than half a million people died prematurely in 2007, due to water and air pollution in China (Widdall 9). Water and air pollution have been confirmed to cause a number of diseases and conditions. Particulate matter which is the most common cause of air pollution is usually a mixture of dust, aerosols and gases. When these particulates are inhaled, they compromise the respiratory system including the bronchi, the nasal cavity and the alveoli. This may lead to an inflammation reaction which leads to constriction of the cells making it difficult to breath. In addition, the gases from the industries and motor vehicles inhaled are too many. Experts believe that a person living in Shanghai inhales gases equivalent to smoking a third of a cigarette every day. Essentially, it is like everyone is a smoker in the city. These gases and particulate matter may lead to cancer and adverse respiratory diseases like bronchitis (Widdall 13). Taking polluted water in Shanghai has been associated with a number of cancers. Ebenstein claims that polluted water is the cause behind increased cases of digestives cancer. According to him, deterioration of water pollution by a single grade increases chances of getting a form of digestive cancer by up to ten percent. The death rate would increase as well. In fact, about twenty thousand people in China die from pollution related digestive cancers (Ebenstein 27). Air and water pollution in Shanghai has also been associated with cardiovascular diseases (Brook Et al 11). The number of admissions to hospitals in Shanghai for pulmonary, respiratory and cardiovascular conditions has been on the increase in the recent years. Experts have reasons to believe that the increase is attributed to by high pollution levels. They claim that pollution levels especially the particulate matter has been on the increase in Shanghai. Chen Et al (19), confirms that the number of cardiovascular admissions increase by between 0.23% and 0.65% when particulate matter increases by 10 milligrams per liter. The high admission rates also affect the rate of mortality (Huang, et al 3). Water and air pollution are likely to have more adverse effects on children below the age of five years. Scientists believe that the pollution may be associated with reduced growth, pulmonary conditions like asthma, impairment of important organs and increased cancer risks on the children (Millman, Tang and Parera 5). Current Intervention Measures The Chinese government and the municipality of Shanghai have embarked on a number of strategies to reduce pollution. One has to cut the number of coal mines and industries. The second has been the regulation of the motor vehicles in the city. Currently, licensing a vehicle in Shanghai is almost as buying a new one. This is aimed at encouraging people to use the current modes of transport and not to buy more vehicles. There are plans to relocate some of the industries to other places to reduce pollution from them. At the same time, new sewerage treatment plants have been established to ensure that no waste is left untreated. Shanghai aims to reduce pollution by 5% in the coming years (Chinese Government). Conclusion Water and air pollution in Shanghai have been of interest to many. The levels of pollution have been increasing and have direct effect on the people of this city. The number of conditions, diseases and issues associated with this are far too many and increasing. They have increased the number of hospital admissions as well as mortality. Addressing them would be critical in ensuring the health and well being of the people of Shanghai. Though the government and relevant groups have been working towards reducing pollution, it is evident that a lot needs to be done. The government, the private sector and the general public can work together towards this goal. They need to cooperate and be responsible about pollution. If there are ways to reduce pollution, then each and every stakeholder should take responsibility on their part. Overall, that would reduce pollution and contribute to improved health to the people of Shanghai. Works Cited Aqicn Organization. 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