Air Pollution and Related Diseases in Humans

Air pollution is nothing but the addition of harmful particulates (solids, liquid droplets or gases) into the Earth’s atmosphere like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, cholorofluoro carbons (CFC), ammonia etc.

The sources of air pollution are natural i.e., from volcanoes, the decay of organic matter, pollen grains floating in the air, and then there is pollution caused by humans through motor vehicle exhausts, industrial fumes, deforestation, thermal plants, nuclear power plants etc.

Harmful effects of air pollution:

1. It affects our respiratory system causing breathing difficulties and diseases like bronchitis, asthma, lung cancer, respiratory infections etc.
2. Carbon monoxide affects our central nervous system. It has more affinity towards hemoglobin than oxygen, and forms a stable compound known as carboxyhemoglobin which causes suffocation and death.
3. It causes ozone layer depletion which increases the amount of ultraviolet rays in the atmosphere and the risk of health effects like skin cancer.
4. It causes acid rain which damages crop plants, trees, buildings, monuments, statues and metal structures and makes the soil acidic.
5. It causes global warming which leads to a change in the weather pattern. The melting of the ice caps and glaciers raises the sea level.
6. Excess lead in the air causes anemia, damage to the brain and sometimes death.
7. It affects our cardiovascular system, increasing the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods of controlling air pollution:

1. Develop awareness to keep the air free of pollution and preserve it for the future.
2. Control the gaseous pollutants with methods like combustion, absorption and adsorption in which the harmful gas is converted to harmless gas and released in the air.
3. Particulate emissions like dust, soot, ash etc., can be controlled by using fabric filters, wet scrubbers and electrostatic precipitators.
4. Utilize tall chimneys in factories.
5. Better designed equipment and smokeless fuel should be used in homes and industries.
6. Renewable and non- polluting sources of energy like solar energy, wind energy, etc., should be used.
7. Shift from the use of petrol or diesel automobiles to the use of hybrid or electric vehicles would help in reducing air pollution and the depletion of natural resources.
8. Afforestation - More trees should be planted along roadsides and houses.