Air Pollution
The level of risk against air pollution
Many studies have shown links between pollution and health effects. Increases in air pollution have been linked to grief in lung function and increases in heart attacks. High levels of air pollution according to the Air Quality Index of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, for its acronym in English) directly harm people with asthma and other lung or heart disease. The overall air quality has improved over the past 20 years, but urban areas are still a concern. The elderly and children are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution.
The level of risk depends on several factors:
- The amount of air pollution,
- The amount of air we breathe in a moment
- The general health.
Other less direct ways in which people are exposed to air pollutants are:
- Consumption of food contaminated with air toxics have been deposited where they grow,
- Consumption of water contaminated with substances from the air,
- Ingestion of contaminated soil
- Contact with soil, dust or water.
This type of air pollution
- Gaseous pollutants: indoor and outdoor environments vapors and gaseous pollutants appear in different concentrations. The most common gaseous pollutants are carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and ozone. Different sources produce these chemicals, but the main freshwater source is the burning of fossil fuels. Indoor air pollution is caused by the consumption of snuff, the use of certain building materials, cleaning products and home furnishings. The gaseous air pollutants come from volcanoes, fires and industry. The most commonly recognized air pollution is smog (smog). The smog generally refers to a condition caused by the action of sunlight on automobile exhaust and factories.
- The greenhouse prevents some of the heat received from the sun leave the atmosphere and back into space. This warms the surface of the earth in what is known as the greenhouse effect. There is a certain amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that are absolutely necessary to heat the earth, but in due proportion. Activities such as burning carbon fuels increase that proportion and the greenhouse effect increases. Many scientists believe is occurring due to global warming. Other gases that contribute to the problem include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), methane, nitrous oxides and ozone.
- Acid rain is formed when moisture in the air combines with nitrogen oxide or sulfur dioxide emitted by factories, power plants and vehicles that burn coal or oil. This chemical combination of gases with water vapor to form sulfuric acid and nitric acids, substances that fall to the ground as precipitation or acid rain. The contaminants that can form acid rain can travel long distances, and the winds move thousands of miles before plunging with dew, drizzle, or rain, hail, snow or fog normal, that becomes acidic when combined with these gases. Read the rest of this entry »
Air pollution causes environmental damage
Air pollution is produced as a result of the release of toxic substances. It can cause disorders such as burning eyes and nose, irritation and itching of the throat and breathing problems. Under certain circumstances, some chemicals found in polluted air can cause cancer, birth defects, brain damage and nervous system disorders and injuries of the lung and airways. A certain level of concentration and after a certain exposure time, certain air pollutants are extremely dangerous and can cause serious disorders and even death.
Air pollution also causes damage to the environment, having hit the tree flora, fauna and lakes. Pollution has also reduced the thickness of the ozone layer. It also produces the deterioration of buildings, monuments, statues and other structures.
Air pollution is also causing haze, which reduces visibility in national parks and other places and sometimes an obstacle to aviation.
Some practices to help reduce air pollution
There are many ways to help reduce air pollution. You can make a significant contribution to air purification simply by following (or not, as the case) some simple practices
Since vehicles contribute significantly to air pollution by emitting CO2, NOx, ozone, VOCs, HAPs, CFCs and volatile particles, changing driving habits will help reduce it.
Reduce car use, use public transportation or bicycle, walk more, use the automobile as a means of public transport, etc.. are the best way to help reduce air pollution.
If driving, please note the following:
• Avoid high-speed circular
• When buying a car, choose one with high mileage per gallon.
• Do not overfill the gas tank
• Do not load fuel in the days of high ozone. Try to do after dark.
• Use a vehicle model that is as new as possible, as new models are generally less polluting.
• Use an alternative vehicle, such as the electric car, or one that works with other types of fuel.
• Drive smoothly and avoid letting your car remain unused for a long time.
• If your car is pre-1995 model, please change the hazardous air conditioning system R-12 (chlorofluorocarbons) by the R-134-a, which is more secure, thereby contributing to reducing the ozone hole. Read the rest of this entry »
Prevention and reduction of air pollution
On December 11, 2011, the Ministry of Environment Protection of Israel, distributed for the first time a national program for prevention and reduction of air pollution. The program covers a wide range of guidelines whose implementation will achieve a continuous reduction and prevention of emissions to the atmosphere.
Israel is about to become the most densely populated western country and the program must be implemented urgently to avoid serious air pollution levels that exist in countries like China.
During the course of the preparation and evaluation of program impacts on health and air pollution, found that air pollution causes hundreds of thousands of additional deaths and hospitalizations occur each year. The cost of this damage to the health of the economy could reach 7.8 million shekels in 2015 and 8.5 million shekels in 2020. The plan includes the management of problems in the areas of transport, energy and industrial production.