How air pollution affects human health. Atmospheric air and health

20.09.2019

Whether it is in the form of solid particles or as a solution in precipitation. Such secondary, through, pollution, vegetation, waters has a noticeable effect on the state. The detrimental effect of "acid rain" on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems has already been mentioned. As a result of the disappearance or strong suppression of the vital activity of many species of animals and plants of these ecosystems, their ability to self-purify, that is, to bind and neutralize harmful impurities, is sharply reduced. Returning them to a normal existence becomes a very difficult task.

For terrestrial ecosystems, the effect of pollutant uptake by vegetation directly from the air through foliage or root systems through the soil is just as detrimental. At low concentrations of pollutants, forest ecosystems successfully neutralize and bind them. Some pollutants, to which plants are less sensitive than animals, can even improve the condition of plants by suppressing pests. But this is rarely observed in natural conditions, since real pollution almost always contains more substances that inhibit photosynthesis and plant growth, reduce their resistance to fungal and viral diseases and insect damage.

The organisms most sensitive to pollution are lichens, and a decrease in their number or disappearance always indicates the trouble of forest vegetation, and hence the entire ecosystem. Method for determining the total contamination of the territory by taking into account the number and species diversity of lichens - lichen indication- one of the most sensitive in the monitoring arsenal natural environment.

In areas that are under the maximum impact of air emissions from large industrial centers, forests are often in such a depressed state that natural regeneration stops, the ability of ecosystems to purify the air is sharply reduced, and this leads to an increase in the harmful effects of industrial emissions on animals and humans.

Effect of pollution on people

The impact of air pollution on human health can be direct and indirect. Directly related to the impact on the human body of particles and gases inhaled with air. Most of these contaminants cause irritation of the respiratory tract, reducing resistance to airborne infections (remember regular flu epidemics in big cities, where, along with a high frequency of contacts between people, as many studies have shown, resistance to such infections in the majority of the population is reduced), an increase in the likelihood of cancer and disorders of the hereditary apparatus, which leads to an increase in the frequency of deformities and a general deterioration in the condition of the offspring.

Many pollutants have both carcinogenic(causing cancer) and mutagenic(causing an increase in the frequency of mutations, including disorders leading to deformities) properties, since the mechanism of their action is associated with violations of the DNA structure or cellular mechanisms for the implementation of genetic. Such properties are radioactive contamination, and many chemicals of organic nature - products of incomplete combustion of fuel, pesticides used to protect plants in agriculture, many intermediate products of organic synthesis, partially lost in production processes.

Indirect influence, that is, exposure through soil, vegetation and water, is due to the fact that the same substances enter the body of animals and humans not only through the respiratory tract, but also with food and water. At the same time, their area of influence can significantly expand. For example, pesticides, preserved in dangerous amounts in vegetables and fruits, affect not only the population of rural areas, but also urban residents who eat these products.

The danger of uncontrolled use of pesticides is also increased by the fact that the products of their metabolism in the soil sometimes turn out to be more toxic than the preparations themselves used in the fields.

Air purity, preventing anthropogenic pollution from entering the air is one of the most important tasks, the solution of which is necessary to improve the ecological state of the planet and each country. Unfortunately, the work being done in this direction is insufficient - the level of atmospheric air pollution on Earth continues to grow. How effectively they can public services and public organizations to ensure the reduction of air pollution, especially in large cities, largely depends on the possibility of a normal life for future generations.

The natural, background level of dust particles and gas impurities in the air from natural sources in cities and industrial areas is sometimes many times higher than emissions from enterprises and transport. Some of the emissions are chemicals new to nature, some of which are highly toxic.

Forest ecosystems are the most effective natural filter that purifies the air, but high level pollution, they are oppressed or die. Pollution carried from the air or washed off the leaves of plants by precipitation enters the soil and water, causing harmful effects on people and ecosystems over large areas.

The strategy and tactics of combating air pollution require improvement, since transboundary transport can only be eliminated or compensated for by the concerted efforts of many countries.

In recent decades, numerous pesticides have become one of the most dangerous components of air pollution of anthropogenic origin, many thousands of tons of which are annually sprayed over agricultural land to protect plants from pests and diseases. Their high toxicity to humans and animals, the gradual accumulation of the pesticides themselves and the toxic products of their metabolism in soils, agricultural products, and in the human body require an early transition from mass chemicalization of agriculture to the development of biological and combined methods of plant protection and soil fertility improvement.

A concerted effort by many countries to reduce borderless pollution air environment- an urgent need of our days.

Clean air consists of a mixture of gases: nitrogen (by volume) accounts for 78%, oxygen - 21%. In addition, argon, water vapor, carbon dioxide, neon, helium, methane, hydrogen and a number of other gases enter the air mixture in small concentrations. The air of megacities contains additional impurities that enter the atmosphere from different sources pollution.

There are two types of air pollution: natural and artificial. The last group is often called anthropogenic or man-made pollution.

To natural springs pollution include dust storms, green spaces during flowering, forest and steppe fires, volcanic eruptions.

Pollutants from natural sources include various plant and volcanic dusts, suspended solids and gases from forest and steppe fires, and soil erosion products. Natural sources of pollution are localized in a certain area, and their polluting effect is short-lived. The level of atmospheric pollution by natural sources is considered as background. It changes little over time.

Anthropogenic sources pollution enters the atmosphere with emissions from industrial enterprises and vehicles. They are of great variety. According to statistics, 37% of pollution comes from motor vehicles, 32% from industry and 31% from other sources.

The degree of atmospheric pollution is characterized by the amount of emissions pollutants (pollutants), their chemical composition and depends on the height at which emissions are made, on climatic conditions, transfer and dispersion.

Numerous studies have confirmed the connection of a wide range of diseases with air pollution, but it should be noted that air emissions are a mixture of various pollutants, so only in rare cases it is possible to associate a certain disease with a specific pollutant. Identified effects may result from exposure to one or more air pollutants.

The earliest evidence that air pollution is detrimental to human health came from London, UK, in 1952. As a result of a special meteorological situation in London, several thousand people died.

The cold layer of air was trapped under the layer of warm air and could not rise up. This phenomenon, known as temperature inversion, results in the formation of a blanket that traps polluted air close to the earth's surface. The temperature inversion continued for four days in December. Due to the cold weather, the population of London burned huge amounts of coal, which led to the formation of a radiation fog throughout the city. Approximately 4,000 people are known to have died from smog, and many more from severe breathing difficulties.

How does air pollution affect us?

Air pollution affects people in different ways. Many factors such as health status, age, lung capacity and time spent in a polluted environment can affect the effect that pollutants have on health.

Large particles of pollutants can adversely affect the upper respiratory tract, while smaller particles can enter the small airways and alveoli of the lungs.

People exposed to air pollutants can experience both short-term and long-term effects, depending on the factors at play. Pollution environment in urban areas, it contributes to increased ER visits and hospital admissions for lung disease, heart disease and stroke.

Previous studies have examined the effects of air pollution mainly on the lungs, as the site of primary contact of pollutants with the human body. However, there is a growing body of evidence that shows the negative effect of air pollution on the heart.

The following symptoms and diseases are associated with air pollution:

chronic cough,
mucus secretion,
infectious diseases lung,
lungs' cancer,
heart disease,
heart attack.

Other studies have also linked the effects of motor vehicle pollutants to fetal growth retardation and preterm birth.

The impact of particulate matter on health

As shown by previous studies, fine particles play an important role in lung damage, since penetrating into the small airways and alveoli, they can irreversibly damage them.

Fine particles are also suspended in the air for longer periods and are transported over longer distances. It is more likely that they travel directly from the lungs to the blood and other parts of the body, which can affect the heart.

To assess the impact of environmental pollution on human health, it is necessary to consider in detail the main aspects of this problem.

Even ancient scientists and thinkers, such as Hippocrates and Avicenna, emphasized the influence of the environment on the development of diseases. They argued that the state of the human body is affected by food, air, water, emotional state. According to studies, more than 80% of diseases are caused by these causes. Unfortunately, this knowledge has not led to a careful attitude to the environment.

Too late, we realized that environmental pollution and human health are interrelated. Now we have begun to take environmental problems seriously when they have become rampant and the impact of the environment has become negative.

Man confidently transforms the environment, creating for himself comfortable conditions. transport, industry, Agriculture. In the process of economic activity, tons of waste are thrown into the airspace and into the water. They pollute the human environment, creating discomfort and a threat to the health of humans and other organisms.

Thus, a paradox arises. Human actions aimed at improving the conditions of existence worsen them along the way. We pollute the air, water and soil, transforming the environment. And the influence of the environment becomes more threatening every year, negatively affecting the human body. This phenomenon is called the "ecological boomerang".

Consider how environmental pollution affects human health, how it affects biochemical processes our body.

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Major air pollutants

The person cannot stop breathing. He does it continuously. The influence of the environment and its components on a person is manifested every minute when he passes the surrounding air through the lungs. When we are born, we take our first breath, and before we die, we take our last breath. When breathing stops, life stops. We breathe in the air that surrounds us, assimilating the oxygen and some other substances in it.

The composition of this air is very different from that which existed 100 years ago. This is due to the rapid development of plants and factories. Tons of substances are emitted into the air, which are either alien to the atmosphere, or violate the percentage ratio of the components of the air mass.

2/3 of pollution comes from vehicle emissions. Leaded gasoline combustion products, which include lead and other heavy metals.

According to statistics, on average, one passenger car emits about one kilogram of various toxic and carcinogenic substances into the atmosphere per day.

The danger is posed by emissions from thermal power plants, metallurgical and chemical enterprises.

The effects of pollution on the human body are hard to miss. Diseases caused by environmental pollution are a serious problem and must be urgently addressed.

They cause an increase in oncological diseases, lead to allergic reactions. The immune system is severely affected. It has been noted that in cities with a polluted atmosphere during influenza epidemics, a threefold increase in the incidence occurs. At the same time, in more environmentally friendly areas during an epidemic, people get sick with influenza only 20% more often.

Sensitivity to air pollution depends on the age of the person. The "risk group" includes children from 3 to 6 years old and the elderly over 60 years old. The polluted atmosphere influences them more strongly than other age categories.

Harmful emissions enter the environment daily and almost constantly from various enterprises

To stop these pollution, it is necessary to take drastic measures. It is worth thinking about alternative, cleaner energy sources. There is a need to make more active use of solar energy, as well as wind, tidal and tidal energy. With the strictest observance of safety measures, the use of atomic energy has a positive effect.

It is also necessary to strictly monitor the amount of emissions from the operation of vehicles. Or change to bicycles. After all, this simulator is excellent, and it does not emit emissions.

In the automotive industry, electric vehicles should be developed. In metallurgy, emphasis should also be placed on the use of electric furnaces.

Impact of water pollution

If we consider what substances are contained in human body, then more than half of it consists of water, which affects the biochemical processes of the body. We get water from the environment and actively use it: we drink, cook food on it, wash ourselves. We not only use water in its pure form, but also get it with food, we inhale water vapor along with air.

But, unfortunately, the quality of consumed water is getting worse every year. 80-90 percent of tap water does not meet sanitary standards. Even if we take water from a well, it is not always clean. Although the quality groundwater higher than the content of open water. This water passes through sand, clay, stones, as if through a filter system. But such cleaning is not able to remove all harmful substances.

Wastewater from industrial enterprises enters the ground, water bodies. Oil leaks occur periodically in the oceans, polluting the water. Precipitation in the form of rain and snow falls along with atmospheric pollution and enters the soil and groundwater.

Human and industrial waste is thrown into the environment dangerous substances, which leads to a shortage of net drinking water on a global scale

Studies have found that tons of harmful substances enter the water. There are oil products, heavy metals, nitrates, sulfates, nitrites and other impurities associated with environmental pollution.

The impact of environmental pollution on humans is more significant than it might seem at first glance. Even a small concentration of harmful substances in water can lead to catastrophic consequences. Harmful substances, the percentage of which in the water is small, enter the body of the inhabitants of water bodies, for example, plankton. There they gradually accumulate. Their concentration in plankton significantly exceeds the content of impurities in water. Plankton feeds on fish, and fish are caught and eaten by a person who is at the top of the food chain. And the percentage of this substance that got into his tissues is several thousand times higher than it was originally in the water.

A boy swims in the polluted waters of Manila Bay

We see that in the biological food chain, those at the top of the food chain are most at risk of contamination. And the main "super predator" of our planet, more than other organisms suffering from polluted water, is man. The impact of environmental pollution on humans is stronger than on other living beings. Over the years of life, a huge amount of harmful elements accumulate in his body. Their concentration over time reaches proportions that pose a serious danger to his health and life.

The concentration of isotopes contained in sea water is 20-40 thousand times lower than in the human body. Although they get there from sea water.

Soil pollution

Soil pollution also has a negative impact on humans.

Wastewater entering the soil, fast-growing municipal waste dumps are all sources of soil pollution.

Do not forget also about agricultural activities. All kinds of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides that enter the soil contain chemicals that have a harmful effect on humans. And they enter our body with grown vegetables, cereals and fruits. We also consume these substances in the meat of herbivores that have eaten poisoned plants.

All this affects us and our children. From an early age, they begin to suffer from diseases that in the past were inherent in the elderly.

Environmental pollution and human health

Back in the 80s of the last century, studies were carried out that took into account the dependence of the state of human health on various factors. They found that the well-being of the population depends on the state of medical care by 10%, on genetic predisposition by 20%, and 50% of our health is determined by lifestyle. The impact of the environment on human health was estimated at 20%.

Repeated studies have shown that these indicators tend to change significantly. The importance of medicine is reduced to 5%, lifestyle - to 25%. In the same time environmental factor rises to 40 percent. Thus, environmental pollution and human health are much more strongly linked today than they were three decades ago. And the question arises, what future awaits us? And do we have a future?

Think about tomorrow today

Environmental issues are in full height. If human influence on nature has led to ecological disaster, which means that he must find the strength to stop the uncontrolled pollution of the environment. Otherwise, humanity is threatened with degradation and extinction.

It is necessary to take urgent measures to improve the environment. Only in this way can we save our Earth from the gradual extinction of living organisms, turning it into a desert. After all, man is the crown of nature. And only he is able to correct the situation by turning the planet into a cozy and flourishing oasis.