Industrial Pollution And Its Affects On Our

Health Essay, Research Paper

Industrial Pollution :How it Contributes to Disease

Air pollution occurs when toxic gases and particles are discharged into the air. In the 20th century air pollution has become a serious problem in most of the world s countries. This is mostly due to the rapid growth of industry throughout the world. This has done extensive damage to the environment, the atmosphere and the health of people throughout the world. The heavy use of industry has also contributed largely to air pollution. Industrial processes emit a vast gamut of pollutants into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide are discharged by industry. Some airborne industrial wastes, such as sulfur dioxide emissions can react with water vapor and lower its pH and result in acid rain. Air pollution has done tremendous damage throughout the world. It has made a vast impact on the people, the environment and the atmosphere. Pollution has caused serious health problems for people. The particulates have been shown to worsen respiratory conditions such as asthma. There is speculation among scientists that they are the cause of respiratory and cardiac diseases inflicted by air pollution that lead to over 60,000 premature deaths per year in the United States. The environment has suffered much damage from polluted air as well. Carbon dioxide in the air traps

in the atmosphere s heat and leads to an increase in the earth s temperature. At the University of Southern California recently, scientists performed autopsies on 100 youths between the ages of 15 and 25 who had died as a result of violence,accident,and other nonmedical causes. What they discovered was shocking :80 percent had notable lung abnormalities. and 27 percent had

severe lesions on their lungs.

Industrial smog which forms as a gray haze over industrialized cities that burn coal and other fossil fuels for manufacturing ,heating,and generating electric power. The burning releases dust,smoke,ashes,soot,asbestos,oil,bits of lead and other heavy metals, and sulfur oxides. Breathing smoggy air can be hazardous because smog contains ozone, a pollutant that can harm our health when there are elevated levels in the air we breathe. Ozone is an odorless, colorless gas

composed of three atoms of oxygen. Ozone occurs both in the Earth s upper atmosphere and at ground level. Ozone can be good or bad,depending on where it is found. Ozone can affect health in many ways.

There is also Ground pollution where industrial chemicals have seeped into the ground and contaminated drinking-water supplies. Some of more than 70 synthetic organic chemicals have been found in trace amounts. At high levels, water-soluble inorganic chemicals-including acids,salts,and compounds of toxic metals such as mercury and lead-can also make drinking water unfit to drink. Excessive nitrates in drinking water can reduce the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood and even cause stillbirths. Ozone can irritate the respiratory system which can cause you to start coughing,feel an irritation in your throat, and/or experience an uncomfortable comfortable sensation in your chest. These symptoms can last for a few hours after ozone exposure and may even become painful.

Ozone can reduce lung function. When scientists refer to lung function , they mean the volume of air that you draw in when you take a full breath and the speed at which you are able to blow it out. Ozone can make it more difficult for you to breathe as deeply and vigorously as you normally would. When this happens, you may notice that breathing starts to feel uncomfortable. If you are

exercising or working outdoors, you may notice that you are taking more rapid and shallow breaths than normal. Reduced lung function can be a particular problem for outdoor workers,competitive athletes, and other people who exercise outdoors. Ozone can aggravate asthma When ozone levels are high, more asthmatics have asthma attacks that require a doctor s attention or the use of additional medication. One reason this happens is that ozone makes people more sensitive to allergens,which are the most common triggers for asthma attacks. (Allergens come from dust mites,cockroaches,pets,fungus,and pollen.) Also, asthmatics are more severely affected by the reduced lung function and irritation that ozone causes in the respiratory system. Ozone can inflame and damage the lining of the lung. Some scientists have compared ozone s effect on the lining of the lung to the effect of sunburn on the skin. Ozone damages the cells that line the air spaces in the lung. Within a few days, the damaged cells are replaced and the old cells are shed;much in the way that skin peels after a sunburn. If this kind of damage occurs repeatedly, the lung may change permanently in a way that could cause long-term health effects and a lower quality of life.