The Dark Side Of Pollution: Understanding Its Causes And Effects

Pollution is the leading environmental cause of disease and premature death, with air pollution causing more than 7 million premature deaths each year. Air pollution is caused by solid and liquid particles and certain gases that are suspended in the air. These particles and gases can come from car and truck exhaust, factories, dust, pollen, mould spores, volcanoes and wildfires. Industrialisation, the use of pesticides and nitrogen-based fertilisers, crop residues in agriculture, urbanisation, forest fires, desert dust, and inadequate waste management have intensified environmental health risks and pollution.

Air pollution

In cities, a gas called ozone is a major cause of air pollution. Ozone is also a greenhouse gas that can be both good and bad for our environment. It helps block harmful energy from the Sun, called radiation, when it is high up in our atmosphere. However, when ozone is closer to the ground, it can be really bad for our health. Ground-level ozone is created when sunlight reacts with certain chemicals that come from sources of burning fossil fuels, such as factories or car exhaust.

Both short-term and long-term exposure to air pollutants can cause a variety of health problems. For people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD/emphysema or chronic bronchitis), air pollution can make it harder to breathe, trigger asthma attacks, or cause wheezing and coughing.

Industrialization, the use of pesticides and nitrogen-based fertilizers, crop residues in agriculture, urbanization, forest fires, desert dust, and inadequate waste management have intensified environmental health risks and pollution, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Water pollution

Large oil spills and leaks are some of the most significant causes of water pollution. These are often caused by oil drilling operations in the ocean, but nearly half of the estimated 1 million tons of oil that makes its way into marine environments each year comes from land-based sources like factories, farms, and cities. In England and Wales, there are about 3,000 pollution incidents involving oil and fuel each year. Oil makes drinking water unsafe and destroys marine life and the ecosystems that support them.

Other agricultural processes, such as the uncontrolled spreading of slurries and manures, tillage, and ploughing the land, can also cause water pollution. Most items collected and dumped into oceans by many countries can take anywhere from two to 200 years to decompose completely. Other sources of waste at sea include plastic and other materials blown or washed from land. Currently, about 11 million metric tons of plastic make their way into the oceans each year. Research has found that if this rate of pollution continues, the amount of ocean plastics will grow to 29 million metric tons per year by 2040. The damage to wildlife habitats and life on land is incalculable.

The main water pollutants include bacteria, viruses, parasites, fertilisers, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, nitrates, phosphates, plastics, faecal waste, and even radioactive substances. These substances do not always change the colour of the water, meaning that they are often invisible pollutants. That's why small amounts of water and aquatic organisms are tested to determine water quality.

Global health crises

Pollution is the leading environmental cause of disease and premature death. It causes more than 9 million premature deaths, the majority of which are due to air pollution. This is several times more deaths than from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. Air pollution is the leading environmental risk to health, causing 7 million premature deaths each year. This is equivalent to the number of people that have died from COVID-19 since March 2020.

Air pollution is caused by solid and liquid particles and certain gases that are suspended in the air. These particles and gases can come from car and truck exhaust, factories, dust, pollen, mould spores, volcanoes and wildfires. The solid and liquid particles suspended in our air are called aerosols. Any particle that gets picked up into the air or is formed from chemical reactions in the air can be an aerosol.

Ozone is a major cause of air pollution in cities. Ground-level ozone is created when sunlight reacts with certain chemicals that come from sources of burning fossil fuels, such as factories or car exhaust.

Both short-term and long-term exposure to air pollutants can cause a variety of health problems. For people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD/emphysema or chronic bronchitis), air pollution can make it harder to breathe, trigger asthma attacks, or cause wheezing and coughing.

Industrialization, the use of pesticides and nitrogen-based fertilizers, crop residues in agriculture, urbanization, forest fires, desert dust, and inadequate waste management have intensified environmental health risks and pollution, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Global waste is expected to increase to 3.4 billion tons by 2050.

Environmental health risks

Ozone, a gas commonly found in cities, is a major cause of air pollution. While ozone in the upper atmosphere is beneficial as it blocks harmful radiation from the sun, ground-level ozone is detrimental to human health. It is formed when sunlight reacts with chemicals released from burning fossil fuels, such as those emitted by factories and vehicles.

The health impacts of air pollution are significant. Short-term and long-term exposure to air pollutants can lead to a range of health issues. For individuals with respiratory conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), air pollution can exacerbate their symptoms, making it harder to breathe, triggering asthma attacks, and causing wheezing and coughing.

Additionally, industrialization, the use of pesticides and nitrogen-based fertilizers, crop residues in agriculture, urbanization, forest fires, desert dust, and inadequate waste management have all contributed to intensifying environmental health risks and pollution. The global economy's reliance on extensive supply chains and raw materials further exacerbates these issues, leading to increased pollution and negative environmental impacts throughout the product lifecycle.

Health problems

Pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and premature death. It causes more than 9 million premature deaths, the majority of which are due to air pollution. Air pollution is caused by solid and liquid particles and certain gases that are suspended in the air. These particles and gases can come from car and truck exhaust, factories, dust, pollen, mould spores, volcanoes and wildfires.

Both short-term and long-term exposure to air pollutants can cause a variety of health problems. For people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD/emphysema or chronic bronchitis), air pollution can make it harder to breathe, trigger asthma attacks, or cause wheezing and coughing.

Ozone is a gas that is a major cause of air pollution in cities. Ground-level ozone is created when sunlight reacts with certain chemicals that come from sources of burning fossil fuels, such as factories or car exhaust.

Industrialization, the use of pesticides and nitrogen-based fertilizers, crop residues in agriculture, urbanization, forest fires, desert dust, and inadequate waste management have intensified environmental health risks and pollution, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

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