With the great concern surrounding 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. While many are aware that our careless use of hazardous
chemicals and fossil fuels may leave the planet uninhabitable in the future,
most over look the fact that they are also cause real damage to our bodies at
this moment. Such pollutants cause damage to our respiratory system, leading to
the fluctuation of the life span of an individual depending on a number of
conditions. Amongst these conditions are the individuals specific geographic
location, age, and life style. This paper is structured as a series of relevant
questions and answers to report on the description of these pollutants there
affects on our bodies. What are the pollutants? And how do they affect our
bodies? In order to understand how air pollution affects our body, you must
under 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,
sulfur 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 smog in
this photograph of Beijing, China is so dense that you can barely see the
mountains The process by which these pollutants harm our bodies begins by simply
taking a breath. Particulates are present every where, in some areas they are as
dense as 100,000 per milliliter of air. The damage begins 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 produce agents in the blood that in crease
clotting ability, which leads to the decreased functionality of the
cardiovascular system, resulting in diseases and increased mortality. In the
blood, carbon monoxide interferes with the supply of oxygen to all tissues and
organs, including the brain and heart. Particulates accumulate on the mucous
linings of the airways 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. Inside the
alveoli of the lungs, particulate air pollution irritates and inflames them.
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, Sulfur dioxide, and Ozone. If you have ever been in an enclosed parking
garage or a tunnel and felt dizzy or light-headed then you have felt the effect
of carbon monoxide(CO). This odorless, colorless, 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 cigarettes. Carbon Monoxide combines with
hemoglobin in the red blood cells, so body cells and tissues 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 form
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. Sulfur Dioxide is a heavy, smelly, colorless gas which comes
from industrial plants, petroleum refineries, paper mills, and chemical plants.
When combined with water it becomes sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid dissolves
marble, turns plants yellow, and eats away at iron and steel, you can imagine
the possible damage to human tissue. It’s effect on people with asthma, heart
disease, and emphysema is devastating. It is also a major contribute to acid
rain. How serious of a thereat is it to our health? 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. This winter smog took the lives of over 3,500 people. A
similar incident in the United States came about as a result of the same type of
temperature changes and smog. In 1948 six thousand people became drastically ill
and twenty died as a direct result of winter smog in Pennsylvania. More recently
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
surrounding neighborhoods were as high as 2,500. About 100,000 others were
injured by the gas leak. Who is at the greatest risk? Since the in industrial
revolution city dwellers have always been exposed to higher levels of
particulate air pollution. As I have mentioned, the fuels use in the urban
factories release large amounts of pollutants such as sulfur 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 become 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 more 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 size their heartbeats and metabolic
rates are faster. Therefore all reactions within their bodies including the
harmful ones of 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. An investigation conducted by the Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation
on the joint effects of air pollution and smoking showed that smokers in
Beijing, China suffered from greater problems in their pulmonary artery
functions. They also had a vital lung capacity decrease of over 10%. Conclusion
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.