Air Pollution

Air pollution is made up of airborne chemicals or pollutants that can affect human, animal, and plant health. It destroys buildings too. In the air, contaminants take many types. They may be gases, solid particles, or droplets of liquid.

Cause of Air Pollution

In several different forms, pollution reaches the Earth’s atmosphere. Most air pollution, taking the form of pollutants from factories, vehicles, aircraft, or aerosol cans, is produced by humans. Second-hand smoke from cigarettes is often known as air pollution. So the man-made pollution are called anthropogenic sources.

Certain forms of air pollution arise naturally, such as smoke from wildfires or ash from volcanoes. And these termed as Natural sources. 

In large cities, where emissions are concentrated from several different sources, air pollution is the most common. Mountains or tall buildings often avoid air pollution from spreading out. Sometimes, this air pollution occurs as a haze that leaves the air murky. It’s referred to as smog. The term “smog” is the product of combining the words “smoke” with “fog.”

Big cities tend to have more air pollution in poor and developing nations than cities in developed nations. Some of the most polluted towns in the world are Karachi, Pakistan; New Delhi, India; Beijing, China; Lima, Peru; and Cairo, Egypt, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)Many developed countries, however, still have concerns with air pollution. Smog City, California, is nicknamed Los Angeles.

Air Pollution Within

Typically, air pollution is thought of as smoke from massive factories or car exhaust.

Yet there are also many kinds of air pollution indoors. Heating a house can contaminate the air inside the house by burning substances such as kerosene, wood, and coal. Ash and smoke make it difficult to breathe, and walls, food, and clothes will stick to them.

Naturally-occurring radon gas may also build up in houses, a cancer-causing substance. Radon is emitted from the Earth’s surface. Radon levels can be minimized by affordable devices designed by professionals.

Some building materials are often harmful to the health of individuals, including insulation. Furthermore, ventilation, or air movement, can contribute to the spread of toxic mold in homes and spaces. In a damp, cool location in a building, such as between walls, a single colony of mold can exist. The spores of the mold enter the air and disperse throughout the building. In the spores, people will become sick from breathing.

Humans facing Consequences

From being exposed to air pollution, people suffer a wide variety of health effects. Short-term effects and long-term effects can be broken down into effects. Diseases such as pneumonia or bronchitis have short-term symptoms that are temporary. They also involve pain, such as nose, mouth, eye, or skin irritation. Headaches, dizziness,and nausea can also cause air pollution.

Bad smells created by factories, waste, or sewage systems are often known as air pollution. Such smells are less intense, but still unpleasant. Longterm effects of air pollution can persist for years or for an entire lifetime. They can also result in the death of a human.

 Cardiac disease, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases such as emphysema have long-term health effects from air pollution. Longterm damage to people’s nerves, brain, kidneys, liver and other organs can also be caused by air pollution. Air contaminants cause birth defects, some scientists believe.Every year, nearly 2.5 million individuals die from the effects of outdoor or indoor air pollution worldwide.

People respond to various kinds of air pollution differently. Young children and older adults, who tend to have poorer immune systems, are also more vulnerable to pollutants. Via exposure to air pollution, diseases such as asthma, heart disease, and lung disease can be made worse. Factors also include the duration of exposure and the quantity and form of contaminants.

Impact of Global Warming

Global warming is an environmental phenomenon that is caused by air pollution that is natural and anthropogenic. It refers to the world’s rising air and ocean temperatures. This rise in temperature is caused at least in part by an increase in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In the Earth’s atmosphere, greenhouse gases capture thermal energy. (More of the Earth’s heat usually escapes into space.)

The greenhouse gas that has had the largest effect on global warming is carbon dioxide. By burning fossil fuels, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere (coal, gasoline, and natural gas). To power cars and planes, heat homes, and run factories, humans have come to depend on fossil fuels. Doing these stuff pollutes the air with carbon dioxide.Methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases are also included in other greenhouse gases emitted by natural and artificial sources. Methane is a major emission from coal plants and agricultural processes.

A common emission from industrial plants, agriculture, and the burning of fossil fuels in cars is nitrous oxide. Fluorinated gases are emitted by industry, such as hydrofluorocarbons. Fluorinated gases, such as chlorofluorocarbons, are often used instead of gases such as (CFCs).

In certain areas, CFCs have been outlawed because they deplete the ozone layer. In order to tackle global warming, many countries around the world have taken measures to minimize or curb greenhouse gas emissions. The Kyoto Protocol, first adopted in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, is an agreement between 183 countries that will work towards reducing their emissions of carbon dioxide. The treaty has not been ratified by the United States.

Directives and Solution

Most developed nations have adopted legislation to limit emissions and reduce air pollutio in addition to the international Kyoto Protocol. There is controversy in the United States over a scheme called cap and trade to restrict pollution. This scheme would restrict or impose a limit on the amount of emissions permitted by a corporation.

There will be a need to compensate for businesses that met their limit. Companies that have emitted less than their quota may swap or sell other businesses their remaining pollution allowance.

Essentially, cap and trade will pay corporations to restrict emissions. In 2006, new air quality standards were released by the World Health Organisation. The WHO Guidelines are stricter than the current guidelines for most individual countries. The WHO recommendations seek to reduce fatalities associated with air pollution by 15 percent a year.

Measures to minimize air pollution can be taken by anyone. To do this, millions of people make simple changes in their lives each day. A few ways to minimize air emissions are to take public transport instead of driving a car, or ride a bike instead of commuting in carbon dioxide-emitting vehicles. There are those who stop aerosol cans, compost yard trimmings instead of burning them, and do not smoke cigarettes.