Introduction
Air pollution is primarily caused by emission of fossil fuel from factories and human made locomotives. The pollution has adverse effects on heath of humans and animals. The world is in great risk if air pollution is not controlled. Who can control it? It is the very human beings who caused in that can mitigate it. Smoke and acidic particles dangerously form part of their that we breath today. Molecules of biological origin and emissions from volcanoes and plant emissions all dwell in segments of the atmosphere. The existence of many foreign elements like smokes and industrial emissions in the atmosphere results into air pollution. Air pollution has many harmful effects in life. Many deaths are reported each year as a result of air pollution related complications. Cancer, heart and lung conditions as well as nose and eyes irritations are some of the harmful effects of air pollution. This research paper aims at identifying the causes of air pollution, effects as well as remedy and mitigation measures to check pollution. The causes of air pollution are range from human to natural activities.
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Smoke emissions from industries and wastes from manufacturing plants are blamed to have significantly contributed to air pollution. Even though industrialization has brought advancement in the world today, their pollution element needs to be checked. Air and gas refineries in oil producing nations contribute to 10% of air pollution. Industries and manufacturing plant normally have long chimneys that tract their emissions into the atmosphere. These chimneys emit carbon monoxide into the air. Chemical plants and manufacturing sites produce large portions of fossil wastes. The presence of such carbon monoxide significantly pollutes the air. Some chemical plants emit toxic sulfur dioxide which later results into acid rains. It is worth noting that many nations have industries today. The increased industrialization has also raised the levels of air pollution. Oil refineries have been installed in many nations today. These refineries break down the chemical composition of fossil fuel hence releasing a lot of hydrocarbon as wastes. The Middle East countries are crude oil producers while the rest of the world processes the fossil fuel into other forms of combustible fuels. Thermal power plants emit a lot of nitrogenous components into the atmosphere which consequently leads to pollution.
Emissions from locomotives are also blamed to cause air pollution. The industrial age saw the coming of many modes of transport which use fossil fuel to facilitate movement. Locomotives such as vehicles, trains and aircrafts emit gases that pollute environments. These automobiles use combustible fossil fuels to aid their movements. The process of burning the fuel breaks down gas composition. The engines later emit wastes through exhaust pipes of these locomotives. Managing wastes from locomotives is a challenge that shall exist for a long time. This is because people still need these modes of transport to move from place to another. Some countries have poor economies which hinders its people from buying new cars. Old cars have been blamed for more pollution compared to new cars. Car manufacturers improve the engine systems to reduce risk of air pollution.
Deserts have large masses of land with lack vegetation. Such land can sometimes generate a lot of dust from rushing winds. Such dust can pollute the air and cause irritation in the eyes and the nose. Such dust pollution and impair visibility and can even cause motor vehicle accidents. Radon gas is another natural cause of air pollution. This gas originates from radioactivity processes of rocks in the earth’s surface. This gas is responsible for some lung cancer infections. Wild fires often occur in some forests. Such fires result into air pollution through the smoke and carbon monoxide that they emit into the atmosphere. Volcanic eruptions pollute the air when they emit sulfur and ash particles into the atmosphere. These volcanic gases can kill and infect people with lung and heart infections.
Farming and household pollutants contribute significantly to air pollution. Crop farming consists of chemical use. Farmers use herbicides when controlling weeds. These other chemicals are used in controlling pests after harvesting. These chemicals are emitted into the atmosphere while used by the farmers. House hold pesticides also pollute the air within these settings. Pesticides can get so dangerous when used in closed rooms with little or no ventilation. Ammonia from farm manures and fertilizers also has a pollution effects on the atmosphere. Carbon monoxide from home kitchens and schools also get emitted into the atmosphere resulting into pollution. Tobacco smokes contain harmful components that have brought diseases into homes. Some household cleaners have organic compounds that significantly pollute the atmosphere in the houses. Air pollution has several negative impacts to live and nature.
Air pollution is blamed for many harmful occurrences in the world today. These effects touch on weather, animals, plants and human being health among others. Air pollution is blamed for increase in disease and illnesses. Air pollution causes significant health complications. Pollutions from the air can cause harm to the already sick patients or even facilitate fresh infections. A person suffering from lung disease can get hurt if their environments are polluted. The young and the old both suffer from the effects of air pollution. Smokes from cigarettes have resulted into several lung cancer diseases. The lungs of new born babies get hurt from dry air condition which is an effect of air pollution. Edema of the pulmonary is caused by nitrogen dioxide which is emitted through industrial gases. Many people have also died as a result of inhaling carbon monoxide gas either in homes of in industrial settings. Some air pollutants results into eyes and nose irritations which bring a lot of discomfort. People from industrialized towns complain of bad and irritating air. These people breathe air that is quite irritating. Exposure to such industrial sulfur dioxide results into heart and lung complications.
Nitric acids and sulfur dioxide emissions from industries are blamed for acidic rains in some industrialized nations. The acidic rains come as a result of precipitation of clouds mixed with acidic pollutants. The acidic pollutants come about when fossil fuels are released into the atmosphere. The acidic rains can take any form of precipitation such as snow, rain or fog. He acidic rains can also manifest as dry gas precipitates. People in areas away from industries can sometimes receive acidic rains because of wind effect. Wind can transfer the acidic clouds to far distances. A lot of harm comes from acidic rains. The soils are a primary target of acidic rains since they get so acidic to accommodate plants. Acidic rains also make water unsafe for fish and other aquatic animals. Many buildings eventually get spoilt due to faster decay introduced by the acidic rains. Massachusetts lakes and ponds have grossly been affected by acidic rains.
The ozone layer in the stratosphere is gradually being depleted as a result of pollutants emitted by chemicals used in coolants. Such chemicals include halons and chlorofluorocarbons which are very common in fire extinguishers, pesticides, aerosols and solvents. The destruction of the ozone layer allows the harmful Ultraviolet rays from the sun to have access into the earth’s surface. A lot of effort should be made to protect the earth against destruction of the vital ozone layer. Excess ultraviolet rays pose danger to the skin of human beings as well as plant productivity.
Emission of pollutants into the atmosphere is responsible for the increase in global warming. The atmosphere is composed of several gases that must balance well to create stability and normalcy on earth. The emitted pollutants like sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide disturb the normal ratio of gases in the air. Any slight change in the gases composition affects the heat balance on earth hence the temperature. Any imbalance results into increase in the earth’s temperature hence global warming. It means therefore that global warming is caused by air pollution. Global warming has impact on tides, forests and human health. Any effort to reduce the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere will be a positive progress towards reducing global warming.
Too much presence of ultraviolet rays reduces crop production and ultimate health. Tree seedlings are also destroyed by the ground ozone which increases by emission of polluted air in the atmosphere. The resistance of crops to diseases is significantly reduced by the presence of the ground ozone. Pets and vectors easily damage crops that are already weak due to excess exposure to the ultraviolet rays. The acid rains equally damage forests and crops in fields. Air pollution results into a feature called smog. Smog comes about when smoke and moisture mix up. Visibility if significantly reduced as a result of smog. Some automobile accidents have taken place as a result of low visibility due to smog. It means that air pollution indirectly results into such vehicle accidents that take place due to poor visibility on the highways. If control measures are not put into place, it would soon be difficult to live on earth due to air pollution.
The largest cause of air pollution if combustion of fossil fuel. It means therefore that a reduction on the use of combustion fuel can significantly reduce air pollution. Reduction of fossil fuel pollution is a joint effort in many countries. Government agencies work together in establishing policies that touch on fuel use. In Germany, a burn on old vehicles helps reduce the amounts of fossil fuel used. Engineers believe that new vehicles have advanced engines that completely burn fossil fuels hence reducing pollution. Mechanical inventions target the use of green energy that is friendly to the environment. Such green energy forms include electric and solar powered locomotives. The use of solar powered lighting systems in homes is also an effort to reduce air pollution.
Policies have been formulated in international gatherings to cub excess air pollution. He Kyoto protocol of 2012 is one example of a conference that targeted air pollution. Countries that have heavy industries were challenged to make big forests to counter emissions from their factories. Manufacturing firms are also mandated to put fume filters that absorb dangerous components of the factory emissions before they are released into the air. Other control measures touch on treatment of wastes from factories and checking radiation activities in radioactive plants. Designs and engineering techniques need to be improved to ensure that industrialization is not a threat to nature. Policies have been made but few have been implemented. A body to check on policy conformity should be established to ensure that necessary resolutions are implemented. Control of natural causes of air pollution however remains a mistry. No human being can control volcanic eruptions.
Conclusion
Air pollution is predominantly caused by human activities that take place on day to day basis. These human activities include industrialization, use of locomotives, farming and agriculture among others. Natural actions are also blamed for air pollution. Events like volcanic eruption and hurricanes seldom take place but they have a negative impact in the air composition. Human activities need to be checked so as to control air pollution. Green energy need to be embraced by developed countries to reduce emission from fossil fuels. Collaboration between governments and international climate agencies will help come up with policies to curb pollution. The policy bodies need to come up with ways of checking compliance and eventual fines to stakeholders who are slack in action. Air pollution needs urgent attention to help safe the globe.
