The Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change in the environment. Pollution is majorly caused due to components of pollutants in the form of liquid/solid/gas/energy. Humans have adopted convenient lifestyle to have a comfortable lifestyle leaving behind so much pollution, these activities by humans are major source of generating pollutants. And did you know that around 4.2 million people die because of lung cancer, stroke, acute respiratory diseases?
Human activities causes different types of pollution like Air pollution, Water pollution, Land Pollution, Noise Pollution, Radioactive pollution and so on. Any form of pollution is a threat to human in a very short time.
Air Pollution
The air we breathe is contaminated due to the pollutants emitted by vehicles, factories. Air pollution happens when the particles released by burning fuel mixed with air, containing millions of particles like soot, smog floating in the air.
When fossil fuels are burnt, dangerous gases like Sulphur di oxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and chemical vapors. These gases further reacts with each other in the atmosphere creating smog, acid rains.
Around 2 billion people die every year due to air pollution according to the environmental research letters.
The biggest contributors to the pollution are Carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitrous oxide, Fluorinated gases.
Carbon dioxide(CO2):
Fossil fuel use is the primary source of CO2. CO2 levels increase in the atmosphere due to human-induced impacts life deforestation, that locks CO2 in the air. Reforestation removes CO2 along with improving the soil quality.
Methane(CH4):
Burning of bio mass produced with agricultural activities, waste management produces dangerous methane gas in the environment.
Nitrous oxide (N2O):
Combustion of fossil fuels and use of fertilizers in agricultural activities causes producing of nitrous oxide.
Fluorinated gases (F-gases):
Processes like refrigeration in industries, use of a few consumer products contribute the emission of F-gases. F-gases include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).
Long-term effects of air pollution
- Respiratory and heart problems: asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, heart attacks and strokes along with cancer
- Child health problems: high air pollution damages early brain development in child and causes respiratory infections
- Global warming: high temperatures leads to melting of ice at colder regions and loss of habitats for animals
- Acid rains: causes a huge damage human's skin/health, animals, destroys crops.
- Eutrophication: nitrogen in air develops a sea surface and turns itself into algae. And this adversely affects fish, plants, and animal species.
- Depletion of the Ozone Layer: air pollution thins the ozone layer which can bring harmful sunrays back on earth and create eye problems and destroy crops
Tips and tricks to reduce pollution everyday.
- Plant more plants in your locality
- Take walks instead of igniting your vehicles for small trips
- Start using Electric Vehicles
- Use car pooling and public transportation whenever possible
- Often check your vehicle's engine condition and tune them to avoid pollutant emission
- Use environmental friendly paints
- Compost organic waste
- Mulch or compost the garden waste
- Try to use gas logs instead of wooden logs
- Always buy gasoline that is packed spill proofs.
Following these tips not just betters the environment, your health too.
Refer: https://www.thebag.co.in/blogs/news/top-contributors-to-air-pollution