Brian Barton
Pollution is a pressing global issue that poses significant health and environmental risks. Air pollution, in particular, stands out as one of the world's largest health hazards, encompassing both indoor and outdoor contexts. It is a major contributor to the global disease burden, causing millions of premature deaths annually and exacerbating respiratory infections, cardiac issues, and asthma, especially in children. Various factors, including energy production, industrial processes, and transportation, release pollutants into the atmosphere, leading to detrimental effects on human health and the planet. The impact of pollution is more severe in low- and middle-income countries, with 89% of premature deaths occurring in these regions. The World Health Organization (WHO) and other organizations are working to address this crisis through initiatives such as the Global Commission on Pollution and Health, aiming to raise awareness, implement policies, and promote cleaner energy sources to mitigate the worst pollution problems.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Worst polluting industries | Used lead-acid battery (ULAB) recycling, mining and ore processing, tanneries, dumpsites, industrial estates, smelting, artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM), product manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, and the dye industry |
| Number of toxic sites | 150,000 sites in approximately 50 countries |
| Population at risk in low- and middle-income countries | 200 million |
| Deaths attributable to environmental risk factors including pollution | 12.6 million in 2012 |
| Deaths in children under five attributable to environmental risk factors including pollution | 26% of deaths |
| Global cancer incidence associated with environmental exposures | One-fifth |
| Annual global deaths caused by air pollution | 6.5 million |
| Annual global deaths caused by outdoor air pollution | 4.5 million |
| Annual global deaths caused by indoor air pollution | 2.2 million |
| Global deaths caused by outdoor air pollution in 2019 | 4.2 million |
| Global deaths caused by outdoor air pollution in 2019 in low- and middle-income countries | 3.7 million |
| Global deaths caused by indoor air pollution since 1990 | Halved |
| Global deaths caused by outdoor air pollution since 1990 | Modest decline |
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What You'll Learn
Air pollution
Vehicle emissions, a significant contributor to air pollution, consist of a mixture of gases and particles, including ground-level ozone, carbon compounds, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and fine particulate matter. These pollutants can have severe health impacts, with fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) being of particular concern due to its ability to penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Short-term exposure to high levels of outdoor air pollution is associated with respiratory issues, reduced lung function, asthma, and cardiac problems.
Indoor air pollution, or household air pollution, also poses significant health risks. The burning of fuels such as kerosene and natural gas releases pollutants like carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and volatile organic compounds. These pollutants can cause or exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular issues, especially in vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and pregnant women. Maternal exposure to indoor air pollution has been linked to adverse birth outcomes, including low birth weight and pre-term births.
The impacts of air pollution extend beyond human health, affecting the planet as a whole. Air pollution contributes to global warming and climate change, intensifying the health impacts of pollution. Additionally, air pollution knows no borders, as pollutants can drift across continents and oceans, settling back to the ground and entering the food chain. Mercury vapor, for example, released from artisanal gold mining, can bioaccumulate in the food chain, reaching higher concentrations in predators such as tuna fish.
To combat air pollution, a transition to cleaner fuels and industrial processes is essential. This includes adopting renewable energy sources like wind and solar power, improving fuel efficiency, and electrifying transportation. Such measures not only reduce air pollution but also offer economic benefits, such as avoided premature deaths, reduced hospitalizations, and net economic gains. By addressing air pollution, we not only improve public health but also work towards a more sustainable and prosperous future for generations to come.
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Mercury in gold mining
In gold mining, mercury is used to bind to gold particles in ores, creating a gold-mercury amalgam. This amalgam is then heated to evaporate the mercury, leaving behind pure gold. However, this process releases toxic mercury vapours, which can cause serious health issues. Mercury is a neurotoxin that can lead to brain damage and even death. It accumulates in the food chain, affecting species at the top of the food web, such as fish-eating birds and large predators.
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining operations are often unregulated and unsafe, contributing significantly to global mercury pollution. These operations generate 37% of global mercury pollution, with an estimated 10 to 20 million miners working in more than 70 countries. Studies indicate that up to 33% of artisanal miners suffer from moderate metallic mercury vapour intoxication. Mercury pollution from gold mining not only affects miners but also their families and nearby communities. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) estimates that approximately 15 million people, including women and children, are at risk of exposure to toxic mercury fumes.
Mercury contamination from gold mining has a long history, particularly in California during the Gold Rush in the mid-1800s. Historical records indicate that hydraulic mines, which used large amounts of mercury, resulted in highly contaminated sediments at mine sites. The total mercury production in California between 1850 and 1981 exceeded 220 million pounds, with about 12% used for gold recovery in the state.
Efforts are being made to address mercury use in gold mining. The Minamata Convention, a global accord named after the Japanese city of Minamata, aims to phase out mercury use across sectors. Initiatives like planetGOLD are also working to reduce the reliance on mercury in gold mining, providing technical guidance, equipment, and financial training to miners in Colombia and 24 other countries. However, more action is needed to mitigate the environmental and health impacts of mercury in gold mining.
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Untreated sewage
In 2020, sewage was released into UK waterways on over 400,000 occasions, with wastewater overflow lasting over 3.1 million hours. While some of this may be partially treated, overflows from storms are raw, diluted only by rainwater. In the US, over 860 billion gallons of untreated sewage escape each year, polluting nearby bodies of water. This has severe health implications, with 3.5 million Americans falling ill annually after interacting with water they believed to be safe. Sewage contains numerous infectious diseases, including salmonella, hepatitis, dysentery, and cryptosporidium.
The impact of untreated sewage on natural ecosystems is also significant. Sewage encourages the growth of algal blooms, which can lead to the death of many species. For example, in 2014, the River Wey in Surrey was polluted, resulting in the eradication of mayflies. Chronic pollution prevents the possibility of ecosystem recovery. Large areas across the globe, including coral reefs, salt marshes, and fish-rich river systems, are contaminated with sewage, threatening the health of these fragile ecosystems.
The global sanitation crisis demands urgent attention, requiring collaboration between conservation and public health sectors. While new sewage management solutions are emerging, such as waste-free toilets and resource recovery, more innovation is needed. Updating wastewater infrastructure is costly and time-consuming, but essential to ensure clean water for current and future generations. Preventative measures, such as expanding natural areas and implementing smarter stormwater management strategies, can also help reduce sewer overflows.
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Lead-acid battery recycling
Air pollution, the combination of outdoor and indoor particulate matter and ozone, is a leading cause of death worldwide. It is a health and environmental issue across all countries, with low-income countries bearing the brunt of its impact. In recent years, air pollution has contributed to one in ten deaths globally. It is also a leading risk factor for diseases such as heart disease, stroke, lower respiratory infections, lung cancer, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
While global death rates from total air pollution have declined in recent decades, this is mainly due to improvements in indoor air pollution. Outdoor air pollution remains a pressing issue.
One of the significant contributors to air pollution is the unsafe recycling of lead-acid batteries, which releases lead particles and fumes into the air, water, and soil. Lead-acid batteries are widely used in the automotive and industrial sectors due to their cheap cost compared to other rechargeable batteries. The increasing demand for motor vehicles and renewable energy sources with storage batteries has led to a growing demand for lead-acid batteries.
The informal and unregulated recycling of these batteries, particularly in lower-income countries, poses severe health and environmental risks. In many cases, lead-acid battery recycling is conducted in densely populated urban areas without proper pollution controls. This improper recycling releases lead into the environment, leading to negative health impacts, especially in children. High levels of lead in the blood can cause brain damage and have been linked to lowered intelligence levels.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a safety standard of 5 micrograms per decilitre for lead in the blood, but many children in areas with lead-acid battery recycling operations have been found to have levels far exceeding this limit. The pollution from these operations is a lethal threat, and children are the most vulnerable to lead poisoning.
Efforts to address lead-acid battery recycling pollution include the Global Commission on Pollution and Health, which aims to present critical data to decision-makers to highlight the severe and under-recognized contribution of pollution to the global burden of disease and its economic costs. Additionally, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) has passed resolutions focusing on eliminating exposure to lead and promoting environmentally sound management of waste lead-acid batteries.
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Industrial pollution
The exponential increase in industrialization not only consumes large areas of agricultural land but also seriously degrades the soil. Water originating from various industries finds its way into agriculture, and the volume of wastewater discharged into water bodies has increased. Solid and liquid industrial wastes are entering watercourses and are considered the main sources of poisons that disrupt marine life and degrade water quality. Industrial wastewater includes mud and gravel, mess from canteens, concrete, masonry, scrap metal, trash, oil, solvents, chemicals, grass, trees, wood, and similar waste.
Air pollution from major industries negatively affects public health and exacerbates the climate crisis. Every stage of oil and gas operations, from production and extraction to processing and distribution, releases air pollution. Ethane, a byproduct of fracking, is a common ingredient in petrochemicals and plastics. The food and agricultural industries also contribute to air pollution, with bakeries, milk or fruit juice production, and distilleries producing wastewater with a high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD).
The Clean Air Act in 1963 led to the development and enforcement of regulations to protect citizens from airborne pollutants. More recently, the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 focused US policy on reducing or preventing pollution at its source. While many pollution problems have been solved or diminished in the developed world, they persist in the developing world, where inadequate or non-existent pollution controls in exported industries create toxic hotspots.
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Frequently asked questions
Air pollution is the world's fourth-largest risk factor for early death, with 4.5 million deaths linked to outdoor air pollution and 2.2 million deaths caused by indoor air pollution in 2019. It is a combination of outdoor and indoor particulate matter and ozone, causing heart disease, stroke, lower respiratory infections, lung cancer, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Sources of outdoor air pollution include transport, industry, power generation, and waste management. Sources of indoor air pollution include household energy sources and tobacco smoke.
Air pollution exposure is associated with oxidative stress and inflammation in human cells, which may lay the foundation for chronic diseases and cancer. It is also associated with reduced lung function, asthma, cardiac problems, and hospital admissions.
The economic costs of air pollution are high. However, the benefits of cleaner air are up to 32 times greater than the cost of clean air regulations. These benefits include avoided premature deaths, reduced hospital admissions, and net economic gains.
To reduce air pollution, a transition to cleaner fuels and industrial processes is necessary. This includes adopting renewable energy sources, maximizing fuel efficiency, and switching to electric vehicles. Additionally, addressing specific sources of outdoor and indoor air pollution through policy changes and investments can significantly reduce air pollution levels.
