Air Pollution and Destructive Impact on Health and Environment

By Mohit Dua | November 6, 2022

The Gist

Air pollution is a major concern of the new civilized world with serious toxicological impacts on human health and the environment. Although there are various sources of emissions, automobiles and industrial processes are the main contributors to air pollution. According to the World Health Organization, the top six air pollutants include particulate pollution, ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and lead. Long-term and short-term exposure to airborne toxins can lead to a variety of toxicological effects, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease, neuropsychiatric complications, eye irritation, skin disorders, and long-term chronic diseases such as cancer.

Introduction

Air pollution is a major problem in recent decades, which has a serious toxicological impact on human health and the environment. The sources of pollution vary from small units of cigarettes and natural sources such as volcanic activities to large volumes of emissions from motor engines of automobiles and industrial activities. Long-term effects of air pollution on the onset of diseases such as respiratory infections and inflammations, cardiovascular dysfunctions, and cancer is widely accepted hence, air pollution is linked with millions of death globally each year.

Traffic-Related Air Pollution (TRAP), a mixture of gasses and particles, has most of the elements of human-made air pollution: ground-level ozone, various forms of carbon, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, fine particulate matter.

Ozone, an atmospheric gas, is often called smog when at ground level. It is created when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, and other sources chemically react in the presence of sunlight.

Noxious gases, which include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and sulfur oxides (SOx), are components of motor vehicle emissions and byproducts of industrial processes.

Particulate matter (PM) is composed of chemicals such as sulfates, nitrates, carbon, or mineral dust. Vehicle and industrial emissions from fossil fuel combustion, cigarette smoke, and burning organic matter, such as wildfires, all contain PM.

Pollution Effects

• Health Effects

Air pollution can harm us when it accumulates in the air in high enough concentrations.

Millions of Americans live in areas where urban smog, particle pollution, and toxic

pollutants pose serious health concerns. People exposed to high enough levels of

certain air pollutants may experience:

Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat

Wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and breathing difficulties

Worsening of existing lung and heart problems, such as asthma

Increased risk of heart attack

In addition, long-term exposure to air pollution can cause cancer and damage to the

immune, neurological, reproductive, and respiratory systems. In extreme cases, it can

even cause death.

• Environment effects

Acid rain is precipitation containing harmful amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids. These

acids are formed primarily by nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides released into the

atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned. These acids fall to the Earth either as wet

precipitation (rain, snow, or fog) or dry precipitation (gas and particulates). Some are

carried by the wind, sometimes hundreds of miles. In the environment, acid rain

damages trees and causes soils and water bodies to acidify, making the water

unsuitable for some fish and other wildlife.

Effects on wildlife. Toxic pollutants in the air, or deposited on soils or surface waters,

can impact wildlife in a number of ways. Like humans, animals can experience health

problems if they are exposed to sufficient concentrations of air toxics over time.

Global climate change. The Earth's atmosphere contains a delicate balance of

naturally occurring gases that trap some of the sun's heat near the Earth's surface. This

"greenhouse effect" keeps the Earth's temperature stable. Unfortunately, evidence is

mounting that humans have disturbed this natural balance by producing large amounts

of some of these greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane. As a result,

the Earth's atmosphere appears to be trapping more of the sun's heat, causing the

Earth's average temperature to rise - a phenomenon known as global warming

Measures to control

• Using public transports

Using public transport is a sure shot way of contributing to less air pollution as it provides less gas and energy, even carpools contribute to it. In addition to less release of fuels and gas, using public transport can also help in saving money. Lesser vehicles on roads will contribute to lesser emissions

• Turn off the lights when not in use

The energy that the lights take also contributes to air pollution, thus less consumption of electricity can save energy. Use energy-saving fluorescent lights to help the environment

• Recycle and Reuse

The concept of recycling and reuse is not just conserving resources and using them judicially but also helpful for air pollution as it helps in reducing pollution emissions. Recycled products also take less power to make other products.

• Avoid the usage of crackers

The use of crackers during festivals and weddings is sadly one of the biggest contributors to air pollution, leading to a layer of smog that is extremely harmful to health. So, the practice of no crackers should be implemented.

Pollution in Delhi

The Air pollution in Delhi is the worst of any major city in the world. On 25 November 2019, the Supreme Court of India made statements on the pollution in Delhi saying "Delhi has become worse than narak (hell) Supreme Court Justice Arun Mishra said that it is better to get explosives and kill everyone.

During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in India, The water quality of the Yamuna and Ganges river basins has improved as industries are closed due to the lockdown. The air quality has also significantly improved during the lockdown.

The air quality index of Delhi is generally Good (0–50), Satisfactory (51–100), to Moderate (101–200) levels between March to September, and then it drastically deteriorates to Poor (201–300), Very Poor (301–400), Severe (401–500) or Hazardous (500+) levels during October to February due to various factors including burning of effigies during Vijayadashami, bursting of firecrackers during Diwali, stubble burning, road dust, vehicle pollution, and cold weather.

Conclusion

Air pollutions have major impacts on human health, triggering, and inducing many diseases leading to high morbidities and mortalities, particularly in developing countries Therefore, air pollution control is vital and should be on the top of the priority list of governments. The policymakers and legislators in these countries must update all laws and regulations related to air pollution. Coordination between different departments involved in air pollution must be led by a powerful environmental protection organization. An effective environmental protection organization should have enough budgets for administration, research, development, monitoring, and full control of the environment including air pollution.