What is air pollution? Air pollution consists of chemicals or particles in the air that cause harm to humans, animals, and plants. It can even damage buildings. Pollutants can come in many forms; in liquids, solids, and gases.
Pollution pollutes the air in the atmosphere, these can come from emissions from cars, planes, or even aerosol cans. Even hand-smoking can pollute the air. These are all man-made sources of pollution which they are called anthropogenic sources. There are natural sources that can also pollute the atmosphere; these can be wildfires or ash from volcanoes.
Air pollution is more common is larger cities, where the emissions from different sources are more concentrated. Sometimes, mountains or tall buildings prevent air pollution from spreading out. This air pollution often appears as a cloud making the air murky. It is called smog. The word “smog” comes from combining the words “smoke” and “fog.”
There isn’t just outdoor pollution, there is also indoor pollution. It’s more common in factories, where there is smoke and chemcials that affect the purity of the air. Heating a house by burning substances such as kerosene, wood, and coal can contaminate the air inside the house. Ash and smoke make breathing difficult, and they can stick to walls, food, and clothing. Naturally-occurring radon gas, a cancer-causing material, can also build up in homes. Radon is released through the surface of the Earth. Inexpensive systems installed by professionals can reduce radon levels. Even some construction materials can have bad effects on humans due to the pollution. An example of this is insulation. In homes, mold and grow and spread around especially in the insulation. These mold spores can travel in the air and make people very sick.
The effects on humans can be very mild or even deadly. Short-term effects, which are temporary, include illnesses such as pneumonia or bronchitis. They also include discomfort such as irritation to the nose, throat, eyes, or skin. Air pollution can also cause headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Bad smells made by factories, garbage, or sewer systems are considered air pollution, too. These odors are less serious but still unpleasant. Long-term effects of air pollution can last for years or for an entire lifetime. They can even lead to a person’s death. Long-term health effects from air pollution include heart disease, lungcancer, and respiratory diseases such as emphysema. Air pollution can also cause long-term damage to people’s nerves, brain, kidneys, liver, and other organs. Some scientists suspect air pollutants cause birth defects. People react differently to different types of air pollution. Young children and older adults, whose immune systems tend to be weaker, are often more sensitive to pollution. Conditions such as asthma, heart disease, and lung disease can be made worse by exposure to air pollution. Like humans, animals can suffer health effects from exposure to air pollution. Birth defects, diseases, and lower reproductive rates have all been attributed to air pollution.
There are many acts and ways we can do to help out the pollution issue. We need to be better at regulating what we use and what we put into the atmosphere.
