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Air pollution Introduction With the great concern surrounding the destruction
of the earth’s atmosphere due to air pollution, the immediate and direct harm
caused to the human body is often over shadowed. While many are aware that our
careless use of hazardous chemicals and fossil fuels may leave the planet
uninhabitable in the future, most over look the fact that they are also cause
real damage to our bodies at this moment. Such pollutants cause damage to our
respiratory system, leading to the fluctuation of the life span of an individual
depending on a number of conditions. Amongst these conditions are the
individuals specific geographic location, age, and life style. This paper is
structured as a series of relevant questions and answers to report on the
description of these pollutants there affects on our bodies.
What are the
pollutants? And how do they affect our bodies? In order to understand how air
pollution affects our body, you must under stand exactly what this pollution is.
The pollutants that harm our respiratory system are known as particulates.
Particulates are the small solid particles that you can see through a ray of
sunlight. They are products of incomplete combustion in engines (example:
automobile engines), road dust, and wood smoke. Billions of tons of coal and oil
are consumed around the world every year. When these fuels burn they produce
smoke and other by-products into the atmosphere. Although wind and rain
occasionally wash away the smoke given off by power plants and automobiles, much
still remains. Particulate matter (soot, ash, and other solids), usually consist
of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, various nitrogen
oxides, ozone, and lead. These compounds undergo a series of chemical reactions
in the presence of sunlight, the result is smog (a term used to describe a
noxious mixture of fog and smoke)
The smog in this photograph of Beijing, China
is so dense that you can barely see the mountains The process by which these
pollutants harm our bodies begins by simply taking a breath. Particulates are
present every where, in some areas they are as dense as 100,000 per milliliter
of air. The damage begins when the particulates are inhaled into the small air
sacs of our lungs called alveoli. With densities such as 100,000 per milliliter
a single alveolus may receive 1,500 particulates per day. These particulates
cause the inflammation of the alveoli. The inflammation causes the body to
produce agents in the blood that in crease clotting ability, which leads to the
decreased functionality of the cardiovascular system, resulting in diseases and
increased mortality. In the blood, carbon monoxide interferes with the supply of
oxygen to all tissues and organs, including the brain and heart.
Particulates
accumulate on the mucous linings of the airways and lungs and impair their
functioning. Continued exposure to particulates damages the lungs and increases
an individual's chances of developing such conditions as chronic bronchitis and
emphysema. Inside the alveoli of the lungs, particulate air pollution irritates
and inflames them. While you may see pollutants such as particulates, other
harmful ones are not visible. Amongst the most dangerous to our health are
Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxides, Sulfur dioxide, and Ozone. If you have ever
been in an enclosed parking garage or a tunnel and felt dizzy or light-headed
then you have felt the effect of carbon monoxide(CO).
This odorless, colorless,
but poisonous gas is produced by the incomplete burning of fossil fuels, like
gasoline or diesel fuel. Carbon Monoxide comes from cars, trucks, gas furnaces
and stoves, and some industrial processes. CO is also a toxin in cigarettes.
Carbon Monoxide combines with hemoglobin in the red blood cells, so body cells
and tissues cannot get the oxygen they need. Carbon Monoxide attacks the immune
system, especially affecting anyone with heart disease, anemia, and emphysema
and other lung diseases. Even when at low concentrations CO affects mental
function, vision, and alertness. Nitrogen Oxide is another pollutant that has
been nicknamed a jet-age pollutant because it is only apparent in highly
advanced countries. Sources of this are fuel plant, cars, and trucks. At lower
concentrations nitrogen oxides are a light brown gas. In high concentrations
they are major sources of haze and smog.
They also combine with other compounds
to help form ozone. Nitrogen Oxides cause eye and lung irritation, and lowers
the resistance to respiratory illness, such as chest colds, bronchitis, and
influenza. For children and people with asthma, this gas is can cause death.
Nitrogen Oxides maybe the most dangerous of these pollutants because it also
makes nitric acid, when combine with water in rain, snow, fog, or mist. This
then becomes the harmful acid rain. Sulfur Dioxide is a heavy, smelly, colorless
gas which comes from industrial plants, petroleum refineries, paper mills, and
chemical plants. When combined with water it becomes sulfuric acid. Sulfuric
acid dissolves marble, turns plants yellow, and eats away at iron and steel, you
can imagine the possible damage to human tissue.
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