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Agriculture

The Effects of Air Pollution

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The Effects of Air Pollution

There has been an increase in environmental degradation over time due to rapid urbanization and industrialization. Environmental pollution is categorized into air, water and soil. Air pollution is the release of poisonous substances into the atmosphere such as smoke, carbon dioxide, methane and mold. Air pollution has severe consequences for people as well as the natural ecosystems. According to (), China has led in the total amount of carbon dioxide released, i.e. 21.5, whereas U.S. and Russia follow by contributing 20.2% and 5.5% respectively. This essay focuses on the effects of air pollution, which include respiratory and heart problems, global warming, and distress on animals.

Air pollution has created a significant threat to human health, and it has led to millions of deaths annually. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated annual number of 3.3 million people die prematurely due to health issues linked to air pollution. The health effects are cardiovascular diseases such as altered blood pressure, and stroke, and respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, lung disease, and emphysema. Particulate matters that contain harmful substances are taken into the respiratory system, which is transported to the lungs and into the blood. Toxic substances in the blood cause inflammation of the blood vessels altering the blood pressure or severe stroke. Despite the multiple protective layers in the respiratory tract, air pollutants accumulate and penetrate the lung tissues. The vapor in the poisonous air is absorbed into the body fluids and can deeply invade the lungs causing infections.

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Air pollutants reduce the development of the lungs, which affects the health of an individual in later life. When the air pollutants are concentrated in the lung tissues, they irritate the lungs aggravating pre-existing respiratory issues such as asthma. Children are more vulnerable to air pollutants since they mainly use their mouths for breathing. The contaminants travel deeper into children lungs since they inhale relatively more air than adults.

Global warming is the continuous increase of temperature in the earth’s atmosphere and is mainly caused by a rise in the levels of carbon dioxide as well as the greenhouse effect. Even though carbon dioxide is produced naturally through volcano eruptions and respiration of plants, anthropogenic sources have led it to become an environmental hazard. Air pollutants absorb the solar radiation and sunlight from the earth surface, retaining the high temperatures. The air pollutants last for very long times in the atmosphere and thus trapping the heat which could have otherwise escaped into space. Other synthetic pollutants such as chlorofluorocarbon have led to the depletion of the ozone layer causing global warming. The ozone layer protects the earth from the extreme radiations of the sun; hence its reduction leads to the reception of intense heat waves by the planet. Some of the sources of carbon dioxide include burning coal and fossils as well as emissions from vehicles and trains. The existence of global warming is harmful to the environment by causing frequent or prolonged droughts, extreme hurricane, heavy rainfall and hotter heat waves. In 2005, cities such as New Orleans, Louisiana and Florida received a severe storm. The annual average temperatures have increased by 1oc since the 19th century. There has been a gradual shrink of the glacier in places such as the Andes, Alaska, Alps, and the Himalayas. The extreme changes in the weather have led to the destruction of agriculture due to increased flooding or lack of rainfall.

Air pollution has negatively affected all living things, including animals. An increase in air pollutants has led to oxidative stress in animals. The tension is mainly caused by a rise in oxidative damages. When animals inhale oxygen from contaminated air, they receive harmful particulate matter and gases. The contaminated air is accumulated in the animal tissues causing severe damage to the organs. Air pollution has led to the depletion of the ozone layer, which protects the earth from the intense ultraviolet rays from the sun. Ultraviolet radiation causes damage to the lung tissues of the animals, thus becoming harmful to wildlife. Air pollution affects the quality of the animal habitats as well as the quality and availability of food. When particular prey has accumulated air pollutants in its tissues, its consumption by the predator transfers the harmful substances along the food chain. The predators at the top level in the food chain such as eagles have a higher accumulation of air pollutants. Air pollutant causes havoc to the wildlife by raising their vulnerability to stress and diseases, a decrease in the reproduction process, organ damage, endocrine dysfunction, and death. Air pollution has led to a change in the distribution of some wildlife species.

In conclusion, air pollution negatively affects living things, both directly and indirectly. Air pollution leads to adverse effects such as death making human and animal sustainability hazardous. Strategic measures should be taken to combat air pollution and promote healthy existence of living things. Some of the solutions to reduce air pollution include the use of green energy like wind, solar, and geothermal. A decrease in the emissions from coal and vehicles will lead to a decline in air pollution, making the environment more friendly to life.

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