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Air PollutionAir Pollution Air, is the
most essential element for all living organisms and yet, most humans play a big
role on polluting this essential resource. Air pollution may not be as
dangerous in its direct outcome as nuclear or water pollution can be, but in the
long term it will have an tremendous effect on the environment and health of
its organisms living in. Asthma, cancer, acid rain, and the disability to
photosynthesize are only a few causes of air pollution. The atmospheric
pollutants with the greatest effect onto the environment are the carbon
monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, dust
particles, radioactive isotopes, and chlorofluorocarbons. The major sources
that enable carbon monoxide to enter the atmosphere are the exhausts of cars,
the burning of fossil fuels, and the oxidation of natural methane. Carbon
dioxide is caused by the consumption of fossil fuels only and it causes the
possible greenhouse effect which has global warming as an outcome. Hydrocarbons
are caused by the combustion of oil and petrol and it effects the environment
with carcinogen. Carcinogen is a chemical agent that causes cancer. Sulphur
dioxide is certainly one of the major atmospheric pollutants considered that it
causes stinging eyes, lung damage, asthma, and acid rain. It is the result of
coal-fired power stations. Nitrogen oxides that is produced by the exhaust of
cars, causes pneumonia and asphyxia. The outcome of the well known dust
particles is often underestimated. It is caused by industrial chimneys, car
exhaust, and volcanic eruptions and it effects the environment by toxic effects
and damage of the lungs. Radioactive isotopes which are caused by small
quantities from nuclear waste and nuclear accidents have an carcinogenic effect
on the environment as well. The outcome of chlorofluorocarbons, which had been
first discovered in the 80s is that it destroys the ozone layer. Many of those
major atmospheric pollutants combined produce the dangerous and well known
smoke and gas emission called smog.
Smog or dust
dome is most often formed when a layer of cool air is trapped beneath a layer
of still warmer air. The mixture of benzopyrene ( a cancer causing substance
that is produced by the evaporation of petrol), the waste of hydrocarbons,
combined with nitrogen dioxide, oxygen, and sunlight produce the photochemical
smog which can be recognized as the yellow cloud over every big city in the
world. Besides that optical effect it causes an increase of ozone in the lower
atmosphere and the health conditions of the particular organism living in such
an area. For example, it is estimated that "Washington DC receives 10% less
sunlight than at the begging of the century due to the shielding of atmospheric
pollution.” The ozone enters the leaves of plants turning them brown and makes
it difficult for plant to photosynthesize. In addition to that, it causes skin
cancer on humans. Most seriously though, it increases the acidity of the rain
which is mainly caused by the rise of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that
get caught up by clouds. All ready unpolluted rain is slightly acid due to
dissolved carbon dioxide, but polluted rain may be very acidic. The effect of
acid rain on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems can be very different. "In
Scandinavia, which receives a high proportion of its air pollution from
Britain, once productive lakes are now completely devoid of fish.” In addition
to its direct effect on water, acid rain allows metal ions such as aluminum,
which is highly toxic to fish, to be leached from the soil. Acid rain reduces
the growth of trees and disables plants to photosynthesize which destroys them
in the long term. It also reduces the activity of nitrogen-fixing bacteria. In
the event of a nuclear accident or war, the main risks do lay only partly in
the pollution of air and air as a carrier of the polluted particles. The main
risks arise from inhalation of contaminant particles, fallout of radioactive
isotopes on soil with subsequent incorporation into food, and contamination of
water supplies. The outcome of all those pollutant factors are enormous. The
smoke from car engines which contains lead, that causes brain damage in
children, stinging eyes, damage of the lung, the death rate of 40.000 asthma
patients every year, and the destruction of whole forests includes only a few
examples of the effects of air pollution. There are many ways to control and
reduce air pollution and it is not the lack of technology but the unwillingness
of the humans to change their attitudes and life styles.
It exists a
wide range of technology for effective air pollution. Emissions of dust can and
should be controlled by filters which remove solid particles before gases are
discharged. Low sulphure fuels could be used in order to reduce the sulphure
emission from coal-fired power stations. For all other forms of waste that get
released during production into the air, technology provides a wide range of
filters which are able to remove 80-95% of sulphur dioxide gas. The control of
emission from the most common pollutant, the car, improvements can be made. The
use of lead free patrol and catalytic converters would reduce toxic emissions
to a fraction of their present level and prevent damage to the environment. Of
course are the big companies the one which produce most waste and cause most
pollution, but in order to change and reduce the air pollution, everyone, even
the smallest household, needs to change its attitudes and be more responsible
with the limited sources the nature is providing. If humans would be less greedy
for money and willing to ensure a safe and clean environment for the children
of tomorrow, vast improvements could be made that would be beneficial for the
whole world.
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