Environmental Problems of Pollution - Assignment Example

Pollution of Learning Types of pollution Air pollution This refers to the accumulation of gases, radiations and solid particles in the air in sufficient amount that can cause harm or endanger living organisms. Air pollution occurs as a result of emission of hydrocarbons, oxides of carbon, oxides of nitrogen, sulfur dioxides, particulates and nuclear waste in the air. The bulk of these air pollutants emanates from automobiles, burning of fossil fuels, nuclear and industrial activities (Hill, 2010). Air pollution has been linked to global warming, respiratory diseases, lung cancer and damage to major organs by heavy metals such as lead. Some examples of air pollution include: Tobacco smoke - This is commonly found in the urban areas especially in public parks and buildings. Exhaust from motor vehicles and airplanes - The combustion of fuels in the engines releases exhaust gases such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and in some cases lead particles into the air. Gases from coal combustion - The use of coal in power generation releases carbon oxides in the atmosphere. Radioactive particles - Testing of nuclear weapons r nuclear accidents results in massive explosion that blow radioactive dust in the air. Water pollution This is the addition of contaminants in water bodies that result in a significant change in physical, chemical or biological state of the water. The resultant effect of contamination can be attributed to an increase in waterborne diseases, suspended sediments, and excessive growth of aquatic plants and death of aquatic animals (Hill, 2010). Some examples of water pollution include: Industrial affluent - Some of the waste from the industrial discharge ay contains heavy metals, alkalis, acids, oils, plastics and hot water. Agricultural waste - These include herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers that are carried by surface run-off into the water bodies. Domestic waste and sewage disposal - This is very common in urban areas with poor infrastructural development. Biological contamination - These can be either bacteria or fungi which may disrupt the aquatic system or lead to the death of aquatic organism. Radiation spills - This may be as a result of a nuclear accidents or illegal disposal of radioactive materials in water bodies. Land pollution This may take the form of either misuse of the land surface or disposal of both industrial and household waste. Some forms of land misuse are seen in improper agricultural practices and in mineral exploitation (Hill, 2010). Land pollution may be visible or invisible as a result of seepage of the pollutants. The latter is very hard to clean up since the contaminants may be spread over a large area. Some examples of land pollution include: Agricultural chemicals - This may occur due to some agricultural practices such as the use of herbicides and pesticides. Illegal dumping - This refers to the dumping of solid and liquid waste from households and industries. Abandoned mines - These destroy the aesthetic nature of the landscape as well as creating breeding grounds for disease vectors such as mosquitoes. Oil spills - The inland spill may be either accidental or a deliberate action by oil tankers or pipelines. Visual pollution This is the presence of unattractive sites in the human vicinity. This form of pollution is subjective in nature since individuals possess different views in what they term as either attractive or unattractive (Meunier, 2010). Some examples of visual pollution include: Skyscrapers - These create obstructions to scenic views such as mountains as well as creating an obstruction from the sun rays. Graffiti - In most cases they contain derogatory words or extreme political views. Obscene carvings - Carvings expressing sexual connotation or showing naked part of the human beings in most societies is viewed as visual pollution. Abandoned homes - They are usually in ruins or unattended states creating an ugly site and a haven for drug dealers and criminals. Noise pollution High noise levels can be annoying or harmful to humans resulting in defects in hearing (Hill, 2010). Some examples of noise pollution include: Noise generated by engines from aircrafts, motor vehicles and trains Noise generated during construction or demolition exercise. Human leisure activities such as sporting events in large stadiums I consider water pollution the worst since contamination on one point is spread over to other areas for example pollution of river water can have serious consequences downstream. In addition, water is crucial for the survival of all living things. Thus water pollution affects a wide range of living organism and destruction or death of aquatic organism. Lastly, sometimes it is not easy to know if the water has been contaminated for example, contamination from heavy metals which requires laboratory testing. Environmental problems caused by pests and pesticides Pests cause health and economic problems depending on their types and where they inflict their damage. In the farms, they are involved in crop destruction leading to low production and heavy losses to farmers. They also infest livestock leading to reduction in productivity, diseases and deaths if not contained in a timely manner. In the household, pests’ acts as disease vectors e.g. malaria, sleeping sickness, allergies etc. it is these harmful effects that creates the need for the use of pesticides for pest eradication (Hill, 2010). However, pesticides also come along with their own environmental problems. These include: Mobility Pesticides may be moved by water or air to other location away from the intended location which can cause harm to other organisms. In this way, they may disrupt the ecosystem or cause human poisoning, death or trigger cancer development. Bioaccumulation and biomagnifications Most non-pest organism does not have mechanisms in place to break down pesticides. This may lead to high accumulation in body tissues leading to death. Toxic levels may also be formed in animals highest in the food chain. Genetic resistance During the application of pesticides, some of the pests with detoxification ability do survive. Over the generations, they reproduce further passing the genetic information to their offspring ultimately creating a large population of resistance pests (Hill, 2010). Environmental problems resulting from ionizing and non ionizing radiation Radiation is a form of energy which is classified as either ionizing or non-ionizing depending on whether it has sufficient energy to trigger ionization which causes damage to body tissues. Thus, ionizing radiations are fully responsible for causing environmental problems. However, the health effect of ionizing radiation depends on the level of exposure one has been subjected (Reuben, 2010). The exposure can have either stochastic or deterministic effects for chronic and acute exposure respectively. Normal exposure can be through diagnostic medical procedures and treatment or from background radiation while abnormal exposure can be due to nuclear accidents or nuclear warfare. Since abnormal exposure is not regulated, it inflicts the most damage to human cells. Stochastic health effects are seen in the development of cancerous cells which occur after the disruption of normal growth of the body cells caused by mutations. The mutations can be either gametic or somatic with the former being inheritable since it affects the sex cells. However, there exists a special form of mutation that affects the fetus referred to as tetratogenic. Deterministic health effects occur after a short time and are characterized by radiation sickness and burns (Reuben, 2010). How the quality of food can affect the health of the general public The quality of food can affect the health of the general public if it is either in poor condition, wrong quantity or has inadequate nutritional value. The foremost important quality in human food lies in its condition during consumption. Processed food should be free from contamination and not past the expiry date. In addition, the food consumed should be in the right quantity and balanced to offer the required nutrition (Hofrichter etal., 2010 ). These three aspect of quality food if not followed can affect the health general public regardless of age or size. They may result to excess loss/weight gain, nutritional deficiency diseases, food poisoning, diarrhea, typhoid, cardiovascular diseases and opportunistic disease due to a weakened immune system. Ways in which respiratory problems can result from indoor environments The nature of the indoor environment can affect the health of the respiratory tracts and organs. A damp interior environment can worsen the condition of individuals with hypersensitivity pneumonia or asthma as well as causing irritations of the airways characterized by sneezing, runny nose, nasal stuffiness, and coughing. Furthermore, poor ventilation can lead to an increase in the levels of air pollutants such as combustion pollutants, secondhand smoke from tobacco, asbestos fibers, chronic lug diseases and lung cancer (Bluyssen, 2013). It also increases the risk of contracting airborne diseases such as tuberculosis, whooping cough, influenza. Thus, keeping the indoors environment well ventilated and dry can help the above respiratory problems. References Bluyssen, P. M. (2013). The Healthy Indoor Environment: How to assess occupants wellbeing in buildings. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. Hill, M. K. (2010). Understanding environmental pollution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hofrichter, R., Bhatia, R., & National Association of County & City Health Officials (U.S.). (2010). Tackling health inequities through public health practice: Theory to action. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Meunier, S. (2010). Visual pollution. Göttingen: Steidl. Reuben, S. H. (2010). Reducing environmental cancer risk: What we can do now : 2008-2009 Annual Report Presidents Cancer Panel. Bethesda, MD: Presidents Cancer Panel. Read More