Free Essays on Pollution

Air Pollution The plant stretched it’s leaves out toward the sun in hopes of growing strong. Yet it was only to find out that it would not survive because there was no sun. Instead a thick layer of smog blanketed the sky. Humanity has not yet reached this point, but if we continue on this path then this dismal future will become a reality. One of the greatest dangers effecting us today is pollution. Pollution is a problem created by human carelessness and disregard for the planet. One of the most detrimental types of pollution is air pollution. Much of the world's air has been poisoned by chemical wastes. Life in some places has ceased because the air is not fit to breath. People all around the world are exposed and are at risk to many diseases, such as lung cancer. Plants and animals also feel this effect, as they have become endangered or even extinct. Yet we are not at a total loss. As a result of our actions, governments have passed laws to limit or reverse the threat of environmental pollution. In researching air pollution we discovered that the single major cause of air pollution is the internal-combustion engine of automobiles. This is because gasoline never completely burns in the engine of a car. Once it is released into the air, the un combusted products (soot, ash, and other solids), unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone, and lead then undergo a series of chemical reactions in the presence of sunlight. The result from these reactions is a smelly haze like substance called smog. Smog may appear brownish in color when it contains high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, or it may look blue-gray when it contains large amounts of ozone. In either case, prolonged exposure will damage your lung tissue. Cars aren’t the only contributor to our air’s pollution. Factories also require huge amounts of fuel, coal and oil for our industries. When these fuels... Free Essays on Pollution Free Essays on Pollution Air Pollution The plant stretched it’s leaves out toward the sun in hopes of growing strong. Yet it was only to find out that it would not survive because there was no sun. Instead a thick layer of smog blanketed the sky. Humanity has not yet reached this point, but if we continue on this path then this dismal future will become a reality. One of the greatest dangers effecting us today is pollution. Pollution is a problem created by human carelessness and disregard for the planet. One of the most detrimental types of pollution is air pollution. Much of the world's air has been poisoned by chemical wastes. Life in some places has ceased because the air is not fit to breath. People all around the world are exposed and are at risk to many diseases, such as lung cancer. Plants and animals also feel this effect, as they have become endangered or even extinct. Yet we are not at a total loss. As a result of our actions, governments have passed laws to limit or reverse the threat of environmental pollution. In researching air pollution we discovered that the single major cause of air pollution is the internal-combustion engine of automobiles. This is because gasoline never completely burns in the engine of a car. Once it is released into the air, the un combusted products (soot, ash, and other solids), unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone, and lead then undergo a series of chemical reactions in the presence of sunlight. The result from these reactions is a smelly haze like substance called smog. Smog may appear brownish in color when it contains high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, or it may look blue-gray when it contains large amounts of ozone. In either case, prolonged exposure will damage your lung tissue. Cars aren’t the only contributor to our air’s pollution. Factories also require huge amounts of fuel, coal and oil for our industries. When these fuels... Free Essays on Pollution AIR POLLUTION including WHO's 1999 Guidelines for Air Pollution Control Exposure to air pollution is as old as the use of fire by human beings Air pollution, both indoors and outdoors, is a major environmental health problem affecting developed and developing counties alike. It comes from sources of dust, gases and smoke, and is generated mainly by human activities but also naturally. When inhaled, air pollutants affect the lung and respiratory tract but can also be taken up and transported by the blood stream throughout the body. Through deposition in the environment, air pollutants can also contaminate food and water. Health impact Every year millions of people die or suffer serious health effects from air pollution: mainly respiratory diseases, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer of the lung. An estimated 3 million people die each year because of air pollution (see Figures for breakdown); this figure represents about 5% of the total 55 million deaths that occur annually in the world. It is possible, because of uncertainty in the estimates, that the actual death toll is anywhere between 1.4 and 6 million annually. Many studies consistently show the direct link between mortality rates and daily ambient concentrations of suspended particulate matter that have diameters below 10 m m. Life expectancy can be significantly reduced in communities with high levels of particulate matter. Indoor air exposure to suspended particulate matter increases the risk of acute respiratory infections, one of the leading causes of infant and child mortality in developing countries. In Asia, such exposure accounts for between half and one million excess deaths every year. In sub-Saharan Africa the estimate is 300,000-500,000 excess deaths. Around 30-40% of cases of asthma and 20-30% of all respiratory diseases may be linked to air pollution in some populations. Studies in So Paulo, Brazil, have shown that a 75 ... Free Essays on Pollution Companies should be held liable for their own pollution What is pollution? Pollution is "to make impure and to contaminate with man made waste." as defined by Webster dictionary. Pollution is the introduction of harmful substances or products into the environment. It is a major problem in North America and as well as the world. Pollution not only damages the environment, but also damages our vital life sustaining needs such as the water we drink. Pollution problems have arisen in all industrialized areas as well as in various inland and coastal waters. Everyone at one time or another has probably heard the phrase "every dollar counts". In fact, this is very true to big business corporations and companies because they make every dollar count even if it pollutes the water which, organisms depend on. Pollution is an obvious problem in our world today. Therefore, it is extremely important that we take action by making companies pay for their own mess, because soon there will be serious consequences that we may face in the future which, migh t lead to our extinction on earth. The greatest source of pollution lies in the companies that produce toxic wastes such as power-plants. Although not common, companies have been known to dump their waste products into streams, lakes, and rivers. This may seem like a relatively small occurrence, however it arises an immense problem that threatens the life of all living things. Mutations, destroyed ecosystems, and human death have all occurred as a direct result of illegal dumping. When a company dumps their waste in our lakes, it contaminates our drinking water and soil. The consequence of this is that it kills all the vegetation and prevents it from every growing back for a very long time. Due to the lack of vegetation and clean water it also causes entire communities of humans including animals to move on to new places and not to return for at least a century. A century is may seem too long fo...