The Air Pollution

1. Introduction
2. What are the pollutants and how do they effect our bodies?
3. Production of smog
4. Role of particulates and in the deterioration of human body
5. Some other pollutants
6. Role of CO and its effects
7. Jet- age pollutant and its effects
8. Sulphur Dioxide and its harms
9. How serious of a thereat is it to our health?
10. Who is at the greatest risk?
11. Conclusion

The first thing people see, in the morning, when they walk outside is the sky or the coloured sun. Is this world giving us the privilege of seeing the natural colours of the sun through all the layers of pollution within the air? Not only are beautiful sights such as this hidden behind the pollution this world causes everyday, but an increase in diseases, infections and death occurs. What causes pollution? What can we do to prevent it, and get rid of it? Is it fair to the children of the future to have to suffer the consequences that pollution causes? Why not take care of the problem now? With the great concern surroundings the destruction of the Earth’s atmosphere due to air pollution, the immediate and direct harm caused to the human body is often over shadowed. Whiles many are aware that our careless use of hazardous chemicals and fossils fuels may leave the planet uninhabitable in the future, most overlook the fact that they are also cause real damage to our bodies at this moment. Such pollutants cause damage to our respiration system, leading to the fluctuation of the life span of an individual’s depending on a number of conditions. Amongst these conditions are these condition are the individuals specific geographic location, age, and the life style. This way is structured as a series of relevant questions and answers to report on the description of these pollutants there effects on our bodies.

In order to understand how air pollution affects our body, you must understand exactly stand exactly what this pollution is. The pollutants that harm our respiratory system are known as particulates. Particulates are the small solid particles that you can see through a ray of sunlight. They are products of incomplete combustion in engines (example: automobile engines), road dust, and wood smoke. Billions of tons of coal and oil are consumed around the world every year.

When these fuels burn they produce smoke and other by- products into the atmosphere. Although wind and rain occasionally wash away the smoke given off by power plants and automobiles, much still remains. Particulate matter (soot, ash, and other solids), usually consist of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, various nitrogen oxides, ozone, and lead. These compounds undergo a series of chemical reactions in the presence of sunlight; the result is smog (a term used to describe a noxious mixture of fog and smoke) The process by which these pollutants harm our bodies’ beings by simply taking a breath. Particulates are present everywhere, in some areas they are as dense as 100.000 per milliliter of air. The damage beings when the particulates are inhaled into the small air sacs of our lungs called alveoli. With densities such as 100,000 per milliliter a single alveolus may receive 1,500 particulates per day.

These particulates cause the inflammation of the alveoli. The inflammation causes the body to produced agents in the blood that increase clothing ability, which leads to the decreased functionally of the cardiovascular system, resulting in diseases and increased mortality. In the blood, carbon monoxide interferes with the up ply of oxygen to all tissues to all tissues and organs, including the brain and heart. Particulates accumulate organ mucous linings of the always and lungs and impair their functioning. Continued exposure to particulates damages the lungs and increases an individual’s chances of developing such conditions as chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

While you may see pollutants such as particulates, other harmful ones are not visible. Amongst the most dangerous to our health are Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxides, Sulphur dioxide, and Ozone. If you have ever been in an enclosed parking garage or a tunnel and felt dizzy or light-headed than you have felt the effect of carbon monoxide (CO). This odorless, colourless, but poisonous gas is produced by the incomplete burning of fossil fuels, like gasoline or diesel fuel.

Carbon Monoxide comes from cars, trucks, gas furnaces and stoves, and some industrial processes. CO is also a toxin in cigarette. Carbon Monoxide combines with haemoglobin in the red blood cells, so body cells and issues cannot get the oxygen they need. Carbon Monoxide attacks the immune system, especially affecting anyone with heart disease, anemia and emphysema and other lung diseases.

Even when at low concentrations CO affects mental function, vision, and alertness. Nitrogen Oxide is another pollutant that has been nicknamed a jet-age pollutant because it is only apparent in highly advanced countries. Sources of this are fuel plant, cars, and trucks. At lower concentrations nitrogen oxides are a light brown gas. In high concentrations they are major sources of haze and smog. They also combine with other compounds to help from ozone. Nitrogen Oxides cause eye and lung irritation, and lowers the resistance to respiratory illness, such as chest colds, bronchitis, and influenza. For children and people with asthma, this gas is can cause death. Nitrogen Oxides maybe the most dangerous of these pollutants because it also makes nitric acid, when combine with water in rain, snow, fog, or mist. This then becomes the harmful acid rain.

Sulphur Dioxide is a heavy, smelly, colourless gas which comes from industrial plants, petroleum refineries, paper mills, and chemical plants. When combined with water it becomes sulphuric acid. Sulphuric acid dissolves marble, turn’s plants yellow and red eats away at iron and steel, you can imagine the possible damage to human tissue. Its effect on people with asthma, heart disease, and emphysema is devastating. It is also a major contribute to acid rain.

There are numerous cases displaying the grave danger of particulate air pollution. One popular example occurred in London, England in the year 1952. In this case excessive deaths were caused as a result of respiratory and cardiovascular problems in that year. The research at that time revealed an association between particulate and sulphur dioxide concentrations in the air and risk of respiratory disease and death. The excessive problems are thought to have been caused by “winter smogs”. Winter smogs were frequent problem during the 1940s through the 1950s when coal was the main fuel for both domestic and commercial use.

Winter smogs are caused by temperature inversions which trap particulates close to the ground. The air and smoke trapped contained high concentrations of soot, sulphur dioxide. And other pollutants. Every year smog takes the lives of over thousands people. An incident in the United States came about as a result of the same type of changes and smog. In 1948 six thousand people became drastically ill and twenty died as a direct result of winter smog in Pennsylvania. More, an even greater tragedy occurred. One of the great human and environmental disasters of the 1980s occurred on December 3, 1984, in Bhopal, India.

About 50 tons of methyl isocyanate escaped into the air from a pesticide company owned by the American corporation Union Carbide Estimates of the death toll in surroundings neighborhoods were as high as 2,500. About 100,000 others were injured by the gas leak.

Since the in industrial revolution city dwellers have always been exposed to higher levels of particulate air pollution. As we have mentioned, the fuels use in the urban factories release large amounts of pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and soot. Another main factor is the heavy use if motor vehicles by the city population.

In the city, where many people and objects occupy a small area the problem is amplified. Depending on the weather conditions the threat can come even greater. Another major factor is the individual. While sex does not matter age and health history do. It has been proven that death or illness from air pollution is likely in young people, old people and people that smoke.

Children are often more vulnerable to those pollutants for two main reasons. The first being that because of their small reactions within their bodies including the harmful ones pollutants( chiefly the replacement of oxygen with carbon monoxide in the blood stream) take place at an accelerated pace. The second is the relatively weak immune systems of young children. Particulates that act as irritants take a greater toll on their still developing bodies. The same threats that air pollution pose to young people effect older members of society. Although their metabolic rates not high, their immune systems maybe equally as weak.

It is apparent that our careless use of fossil fuels and chemicals is destroying this planet. And it is now more than ever apparent that at the same time we are destroying our bodies, proving that our pollution is not just a problem that we can pass on to our children.