Breath for bus (life in Sasolburg)

Lebohang Mokoena* explains air pollution, its causes and effects on people’s health. He argues for the need for pollution control in developing countries such as South Africa.

Every day, the average person inhales about 20,000 litres of air. Every time we breathe, we risk inhaling dangerous chemicals that have found their way into the air. Air pollution refers to all contaminants found in the atmosphere. These dangerous substances can either be in the form of gases or particles. Pollutants can be found both outdoors and indoors. They can be trapped inside buildings, causing indoors pollution that lasts for a long time. The sources of air pollution are both natural and human-based.

The affects of air pollution are diverse and numerous. Air pollution can have serious consequences for the health of human beings and also severely affects natural ecosystems. Because they are airborne, pollutants are able to travel easily. As a result, air pollution is a global problem and has been the subject of global cooperation and conflict. Some areas now suffer more than others from air pollution. Cities with large numbers of automobiles or those that use great quantities of coal often suffer most severely from problems of air pollution.

Causes of air pollution

There are many different chemical substances from a variety of sources that contribute to air pollution. Among the many types of air pollutants are nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxides, and organic compounds that can evaporate and enter the atmosphere. Forest fires, volcanic eruptions, wind erosion, pollen dispersal, evaporation of organic compounds, and natural radioactivity are all among the natural causes of air pollution.

Usually, natural air pollution does not occur in abundance in particular locations. Pollutants are dispersed quickly in the atmosphere and as a result, pose little threat to the health of people and ecosystems. Though some pollution comes from natural sources, most pollution is the result of human activity. The biggest causes are the operation of fossil fuel-burning power plants and automobiles that combust fuel. Combined, these two sources are responsible for about 90% of all air pollution in the United States. Some cities suffer severely because of heavy industrial use of chemicals that cause air pollution. Places like Mexico City and Sao Paulo have some of the most deadly pollution levels in the world.

Effects of pollution on health

Many different chemicals in the air affect the human body in negative ways. Just how sick people will get depends on what chemicals they are exposed to, in what concentrations, and how long. As a result, it poses great risk to the health of countless people globally. Studies have been conducted that indicate that pollution results in major health effects. Studies conducted in the United States estimate that the number of people killed annually in the US alone could be over 50,000. older people are especially vulnerable to disease related to air pollution. Those with heart or lung disorders are under additional risk. Children and infants are also at risk. Because people are exposed to so many potentially dangerous pollutants, it is often hard to know exactly which pollutants are responsible for causing sickness. Also, a mixture of different pollutants can intensify sickness; it is often difficult to isolate those pollutants that are at fault.

Many diseases could be caused by air pollution without their becoming apparent for a long time. Diseases such as bronchitis, lung cancer, and heart disease may all eventually appear in people exposed to air pollution. Air pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur also have harmful effects on natural ecosystems. They can kill plants and trees by destroying their leaves, and can kill animals, especially fish in highly polluted rivers.

Pollution control

Air pollution has many disastrous effects that need to be curbed. In order to accomplish this, governments, scientists and environmentalists are using or testing a variety of methods aimed at reducing pollution.

There are two main types of pollution control, input and output control. Input control involves preventing a problem before it occurs, or at least limiting the effects the process will produce. Five major input control methods exist. People may try to restrict population growth, use less energy, improve energy efficiency,reduce waste and move to non-polluting renewable forms of energy production. Also, automobile-produced pollution can be decreased with highly beneficial results. Input control are usually more effective than output controls. The output control method seeks to fix the problems caused by are pollution. This usually means cleaning up am area that has been damaged by pollution. They are also more expensive methods, making them less desirable to tax payers and polluting industries.

Current air pollution control efforts are not all highly affective. In wealthier countries, industries are often able to shift to methods that decrease air pollution. In the United States, for example, air pollution control laws have been successful in stopping air pollution levels from rising. However, much more needs to be done in developing countries.