Air Pollution's Harmful Impact On Animals' Health

Air pollution can have a devastating impact on animals, affecting their health, growth and reproduction. Animals interact with their environment in different ways, and this means that each species' exposure and vulnerability to air pollution can vary. For example, air pollution can affect the quality of an animal's habitat, as well as the availability and quality of their food supply. Heavy metals, such as mercury, can be transported in the air long distances away from their emission sources, and can enter the food chain, causing harm to animals and humans alike.

Air pollution can cause death in animals

Acid rain, for example, can change the chemistry and quality of soils and water, making water bodies too acidic for some animals to survive. This was the case in the twentieth century when acid rain from sulfur pollution killed fish in sensitive lakes and streams. Similarly, nitrogen and acid pollution can change the balance between soil bacteria and fungi, affecting soil fertility and, in turn, the food supply of animals.

Air pollution can also affect animals by entering the food chain. For example, mercury is a heavy metal that can be transported in the air long distances away from emission sources. High mercury levels in animals interfere with their health, growth and reproduction, and can also affect people who eat wild-caught fish. Other forms of air pollution, such as smog, particulate matter and ground-level ozone, likely affect wildlife health in similar ways to human health, including harming the lungs and cardiovascular systems.

An animal's vulnerability to air pollution is influenced by how it breathes. For example, whether it uses lungs, gills or some other form of gas exchange, such as passive diffusion across the surface of the skin.

Air pollution can affect an animal's growth and reproduction

Air pollution can also affect an animal's growth and reproduction by changing the balance between soil bacteria and fungi, affecting soil fertility. Nitrogen pollution slows the growth of trees such as red spruce. Ground-level ozone decreases seed production in sensitive plants, including important crops. Animals struggle to find food when important understory plants decline.

An animal's vulnerability to air pollution is influenced by how it breathes. For example, water bodies can become too acidic for some animals to survive or have normal physiological functions. Acid rain from sulfur pollution in the twentieth century killed fish in sensitive lakes and streams.

Air pollution can change the quality of an animal's habitat

Air pollution can also affect the availability and quality of the food supply. Many heavy metals, toxics, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and other air pollutants affect wildlife by entering the food chain and damaging the supply and quality of food. For example, nitrogen pollution changes competition between understory plants, making it harder for animals to find food.

Nitrogen and acid pollution can also change the balance between soil bacteria and fungi, affecting soil fertility. Ozone pollution can slow the growth of many tree and crop species.

An animal's vulnerability to air pollution is influenced by how it breathes. For example, air pollution can harm the lungs and cardiovascular systems of animals that breathe using lungs.

Air pollution can affect an animal's food supply

Some heavy metals, such as mercury, can be transported in the air long distances away from emission sources. Mercury contamination in wildlife can interfere with an animal's health, growth and reproduction. This can affect the availability of food for predators higher up in the food chain.

Air pollution can also affect the growth and reproduction of plants and crops that animals rely on for food. For example, nitrogen pollution slows the growth of trees such as red spruce. Ground-level ozone decreases seed production in sensitive plants, including important crops.

Air pollution can affect an animal's lungs and cardiovascular system

Air pollution can harm wildlife in two main ways. Firstly, it affects the quality of the environment or habitat in which they live. Secondly, it affects the availability and quality of the food supply. Acid rain can change the chemistry and quality of soils and water, making water bodies too acidic for some animals to survive. It can also kill fish in sensitive lakes and streams.

Air pollution can also affect wildlife health in similar ways to human health. For example, smog, particulate matter, and ground-level ozone can harm the lungs and cardiovascular systems of animals. An animal's vulnerability to air pollution is influenced by how it breathes. If an animal breathes using lungs, gills, or some other form of gas exchange, such as passive diffusion across the surface of the skin, it will be affected by air pollution.

Some heavy metals, such as mercury, can be transported in the air long distances away from emission sources. High mercury levels in animals can interfere with their health, growth, and reproduction. Other air pollutants, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), can also affect wildlife by entering the food chain and damaging the supply and quality of food.

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