Hey Guys! This is the 2nd blog of the essay series on pollution. In the last blog, we have seen different types of pollution, and this blog will be focused on a long & short essay on Air Pollution in English. This blog will help you guys to know more about Air Pollution & its harmful effects. It is very useful, and you can take reference from it if you write in school, colleges, competitive exams, etc. So, let us start.
Link of First Blog: https://www.socialposts.org/2021/04/essay-pollution-types.html
Before jumping on to the topic, I would like to start this blog with a question: “what is most important in life?”. Is it money or health or something else? Think for a couple of minutes and see what comes to your mind if you ask this question to yourself. What I assume for most of them, they will say money and if you are one of them, then you have been misled by it.
What we believe, having good health, a nice atmosphere to live in and fresh air to breathe, nothing is more important than this, but due to the increasing population and various developmental projects have cost serious impact on the environment, especially in developing countries. Day by day air pollution is increasing due to various human activities. This increasing air pollution is causing various health problems.
What is Air Pollution
Air pollution is the presence of materials in the environment that can be hazardous to the well-being of people and other living creatures, or destructive to the environment. The measurement of air quality follows based on 8 parameters such as PM10, PM 2.5, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, ammonia, and lead.
Here PM stands for “particular matter”. If the diameter of the particles suspended in the environment is less than 2.5 micrometres, then it is called PM2.5. Similarly, if the diameter of the particles suspended in the air is less than 10 micrometres, it is called PM10.
Causes of Air Pollution
The main source of Air pollution is solid and liquid particles and certain gases suspended in the air. These particles and gases may come from exhaust gases from cars, trucks, factories, dust, pollen, volcanoes, and forest fires. In the air, they are called aerosols. Air pollution occurs when solid and liquid particles called aerosols and certain gases enter the air. These particles and gases may be harmful to the health of the earth and ours too.
Where does the aerosol come from?
Any particle that enters the air or is formed by a chemical reaction in the air can be an aerosol. When we burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil and wood, many aerosols are released into the atmosphere. These particles can come from many sources, including exhaust from cars, factories and even forest fires. Some particles and gases come directly from these sources, while others are produced by chemical reactions in the air. Aerosols can also come from other places, such as volcanic ash, from volcanic eruptions. Dust, pollen, etc. are also examples of aerosols.
Most of the air pollution comes from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gasoline to generate energy for electricity or transportation. The release of carbon monoxide in high concentrations indicates how much fossil fuel is being burned. This also emits other toxins. Industrial activities emit various pollutants into the air that affect air quality more than we do.
Particulate matter 2.5 and 10, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide are important pollutants emitted by industries that use coal and wood as the main source of energy for the manufacture of their goods.
Use of toxic products, also known as volatile organic compounds (VOC), inadequate ventilation, uneven temperature and humidity can all lead to indoor air pollution, whether you are in the office, school, or home, Air Pollution can be caused by ignorant factors, such as by smoking tobacco in a room or by untreated infected walls. Using wood stoves or space heaters can increase humidity, which in a short period of time can directly affect a person's health and lead to breathing problems. Sometimes it can even lead to chronic diseases.
Climate change not only increases forest fires but also increases air pollution. The burning of stubble and residues in agriculture is also an important contributor to forest fires. It causes an increase in PM 2.5 in the air, which collides with other harmful substances like chemical gas and pollen, creating smog.
In urban cities, vehicle pollution is the main contributor to air pollution. When your car burns gasoline, it emits pollutants into the air that is just as harmful as smoking 10 cigarettes a day. It emits carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. When vehicle pollution is high in the atmosphere, it creates a hole in the ozone layer, which contributes to smog and causes various health problems. Burning garbage outdoors is more harmful to your health and the environment than you might think.
What are the harmful effects of air pollution on human being and the environment?
✅ The most worrying effect of air pollution in according to scientists and environmentalist is global warming. Global warming is a direct consequence of the greenhouse effect caused by high levels of CO2 and methane being emitted into the atmosphere. Most of these emissions are caused by industry. This can be remedied with social responsibility and the action of companies and factories.
✅ Climate change is another consequence of global warming. When the temperature of the planet rises, the usual climatic cycles are disrupted, which apparently accelerates the changes in those cycles. climate change is causing the melting of ice and this further causes flooding and rising sea levels.
✅ The gases emitted by industry, power plants, boilers, heating, and transportation are very toxic, including sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned. When these substances accumulate and react with water in the atmosphere, they form dilute solutions of nitric and sulfuric acids. When these concentrations turn to rain, both the environment and the surfaces suffer.
✅ The smog effect takes place when a type of dark fog is concentrated over cities and fields, which is a pollution load and can be of two types: sulphurous smog and photochemical smog, both dangerous and unhealthy. The types of smog are a result of industrial and urban action. However, sulphurous smog mainly originated from the use of coal in many industrial processes, which has been reduced in the most advanced countries, but it remains a problem for developing & underdeveloped countries.
✅ Acid rain, climate change and smog are damaging the earth's surface, polluted water, and gases seep into the earth, changing the composition of the soil, which has a direct impact on agriculture, changing the cultivation cycles and the composition of the food we all eat.
✅ As the ice sheets melt at the poles and sea levels rise, many animal species are threatened whose survival depends on the oceans and rivers. Current climate change leads to ocean temperatures change, and then further change in migration cycles, and many animals are forced to forage in unfamiliar environments. For them, deforestation and poor soil quality also mean the disappearance of ecosystems and habitats and ultimately an imbalance in the behaviour of many wild species.
✅ It is probably one of the foremost obvious and worrying effects on human beings. Pollutants can cause respiratory illnesses and allergies starting from coughs to asthma, cancer, or emphysema.
Precaution to be taken to prevent Air Pollution.
✅ Save energy - at home, at work, anywhere.
✅ Look for the ENERGY STAR label when purchasing equipment for a house or office.
✅ Carpool, public transport, or on foot whenever possible.
✅ Consider purchasing "spill-proof" portable gasoline containers if available.
✅ Shred or compost leaves and garden waste.
✅ Use environmentally safe paints and various cleaning products if possible.
✅ Reduce or eliminate the use of fireplaces and wood stoves.
