Thursday, October 6, 2011

air pollution as a local and global environmental issue | News media ...

A ir pollution is one of the main types of pollution which effects our environment, air pollution is often associated with acid rain, smog, and CFCs but it does not only exist outdoors but indoors as well. Indoor pollution is any contaminants indoors that may harm human health such as smoke

Scientists have estimated that every day, an average person inhales about 20,000 liters of air.? Every time we breathe, we risk inhaling dangerous chemicals that have found their way into the air. Air pollution includes all contaminants found in the atmosphere.? These dangerous substances can be either in the form of gases or particles. Air pollution can be found both outdoors and indoors.? Pollutants can be trapped inside buildings, causing indoor pollution that lasts for a long time. The sources of air pollution are both natural and human-based.? As one might expect, humans have been producing increasing amounts of pollutants as time has progressed, and they now account for the majority of pollutants released into the air.

Air pollution has been a problem throughout history.? Even in Ancient Rome people complained about smoke put into the atmosphere. The effects of air pollution are diverse and numerous.? Air pollution can have serious consequences for the health of human beings, and also severely affects natural ecosystems. Because it is located in the atmosphere, air pollution is able to travel far off places easily.? As a result, air pollution is a global problem and has been the subject of both global cooperation and conflict. Some areas now suffer more than others from air pollution.? Cities with large numbers of automobiles or those that use great quantities of coal often suffer most severely from problems of air pollution.

the effect of the air pollutionIndustrial air pollution is a priority concern in South Durban. South Durban industries emit many chemicals into the air, including various sulphur and carbon oxides, activated carbon with unknown quantities of dioxins and other pollutants, complex hydrocarbons, lead still emitted from vehicles, and other products of incomplete combustion. Height limits on smokestacks because of proximity to airport landing strips and abort flight paths inhibit dispersion of the emissions.

Air pollution has very negative toxic effect on?our brain it can lead to physical changes in the brain, memory and learning problems, and can even lead to depression. ?human heart and people who already suffer from cardiovascular disease are particularly vulnerable to an increased level of pollutants in the air. The scientists have proved that air pollution can seriously injure the heart and blood vessels which can in some cases even lead to death.

The industrial processes of these factories produce a large amount of air pollution. For instance, in 1974, sulphur dioxide emissions were estimated at 140 tonnes per day for the entire South Durban (some say it was as low as 70 tonnes). In the mid-1990s, the two refineries alone are permitted to emit that larger amount. Thus, it is not surprising that yearly average sulphur dioxide concentrations in the Wentworth and Merewent area rose from less than 20 g/m3 in the 1975-76 period to more than 60 g/m3 in 1989 (Durban Corporation, City Engineer?s Department, n.d., circa 1990).

Because of the concentration of petroleum and chemical industries here, South Durban has one of the highest ambient sulphur dioxide levels in the country. In a comparison of sulphur dioxide monitoring stations nationwide for the five-year period 1990-94, five of the six stations that recorded the highest levels of average winter ambient SO2 concentrations were in South Durban (at the Wentworth Reservoir, Southern Works, Merewent, Brighton Beach and South Bluff).

Many diseases could be caused by air pollution without their becoming apparent for a long time.? Diseases such as bronchitis, lung cancer, and heart disease may all eventually appear in people exposed to air pollution. Air pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide also have harmful effects on vital systems.? They can kill plants and trees by destroying their leaves, and can kill animals, especially fish in highly polluted rivers. Air pollution has many disastrous effects that need to be checked and curbed prudently.? In order to accomplish this, scientists, environmentalists, and governments, are using or testing a variety of methods aimed at reducing pollution. There are two main types of pollution control. Input control involves preventing a problem before it occurs, or at least limiting the effects the process will produce. Five major input control methods exist.?

The solution to all these problems cause may planting of trees which may absobe the air pollution, try to walk on?your own than using a?car?and also it? may ?be an agreement between countries that they will cut back on carbon dioxide emissions. Another method is to put taxes on carbon emissions or higher taxes on gasoline, so that people and companies will have greater incentives to conserve energy and pollute less.

and on personal levels ,there has to be a driving and flying less, recycling and conservation which can also reduce the ?carbon footprints (the amount of carbon dioxide a person is responsible for putting into the atmosphere). there are also five policy changes here which could make the air we breath more healtheir an d also reduce air polutions . here is also the video we founded so useful for the air pollution and it solutions

here are some useful links on air pollution:

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution-overview/

http://drbadruddinkhan.articlesbase.com/college-and-university-articles/why-is-air-pollution-a-global-problem-895419.html

http://www.h-net.org/~esati/sdcea/environmentalproblems.html

Source: http://internetstudies.ukzn.ac.za/newsmedia/?p=523

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