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POLLUTION
Environmental pollution is increasing with each passing year and inflicting grave and
irreparable injury to the world. Environmental pollution is of different types namely air,
water, soil, noise and light-weight. These cause damage to the living system. How
pollution interacts with public health, environmental medicine and the environment has
undergone dramatic change. Recent oil spills in the Yellowstone River, Alaska tundra
and Enbridge (Wisconsin) demonstrate how pollution can directly and indirectly impact
man’s health environmental pollution was not a medical/public health issue nor was it
discussed in clinical settings. Since the 1950s, environmental medicine has been
discussed more frequently through a greater awareness in public health and preventive
medicine; although today, there is now a focus on occupational medicine. Environmental
and occupational medicine are however more commonly viewed as an integrated subject,
with emphasis given to industrial issues. Certainly, pollution problems have been
recognized in the distant past but were more easily mitigated by nature due to the limited
complexity of the pollutant, its degradability (e.g. biodegradable organics) and lower
industrialization. Health-related effects from environmental pollution have been well
known, but were not fully realized until highly notable events like the Donora
(Pennsylvania) smog occurrence in 1948 resulting in later public health programs
including in their training a discussion of environmental medicine. There has been an
increased awareness of how pollution is observed regarding its health impact and
attitudes toward public health and environmental medicine. Damage from oil spills will
not only influence public health but overall disease rates for years to come. As
environmental pollution increases so will the importance of environmental medicine in
managing its consequences
Types of Environmental Pollution-
1. Air Pollution- Air pollution refers to the release of pollutants like toxic gases,
biological molecules, and particulate matter into the atmosphere. The pollutants can be
derived from several sources including both natural processes and human activity.
Volcanic eruptions, automobile, and industrial effluents, etc., are some examples of air
pollution sources. Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, aerosol
sprays, etc., are some examples of air pollutants. Such pollution can be highly detrimental
to the health and well-being of all life forms on earth.
High air pollution levels can cause immediate health problems including:
Long-term exposure to polluted air can have permanent health effects such as:
2. Soil Pollution- When the soil of an area is contaminated, it leads to soil pollution or
land degradation. The soil is essential to the growth of all plants including crops. Thus,
degradation in the soil quality translates to lower yields and poor health of crops grown
on such soil. Industrial and agricultural chemicals are the common pollutants
contaminating the soil.
3. Water Pollution- In simple terms, the contamination of water bodies likes lakes,
rivers, ponds, aquifers, etc., by pollutants is called water pollution. Like air pollution,
water pollution is one of the most harmful types of pollution. It can have extremely
disastrous consequences for all living beings using the contaminated water. A major
volume of the all the pollutants produced on land end up in water bodies. Toxic wastes
released by industries, pathogens released in sewage, harmful chemicals present in
agricultural runoffs, etc., are some of the top water pollutants. The contamination of
water can lead to epidemics and even pandemics that can wipe out the population of an
entire species or even more than one species. Thus, water pollution has a highly adverse
impact on the environment, society, and economy of a place.
4. Radioactive Pollution- When radioactive substances are present in areas where their
presence is undesirable or unintended, it results in a type of pollution called radioactive
contamination. Such substances are highly toxic to all life on earth. Radioactive
substances trigger mutations in the genetic material of living organisms, leading to
different types of cancers. Exposure to such toxins can also adversely impact the different
systems of the body. Death or disfiguration are common effects of exposure to
radioactive waste. Irresponsible management of such wastes or radioactive disasters are
the common causes of radioactive contamination.
5. Visual Pollution- Everyone loves to see clean and green spaces and beautiful vistas.
When human activity installs ugly barriers to this vision of open and clutter-free
landscapes, it is called visual pollution. The installation of billboards, open storage of
trash, networks of electric wires crisscrossing each other above the street, etc., create
visual pollution. This type of pollution generates distraction, eye fatigues, diversity in
opinions, and other psychological problems.
Q3. List the various factors which affect the dispersion of air pollutants into
atmosphere.
Once in the environment, air pollutants may be dispersed via air, water, soil, living organisms
and food. The pathways of dispersion vary greatly, depending upon both the emission source and
the pollutant concerned. Rates and patterns of dispersion also depend to a large extent upon
environmental conditions. Pollution dispersal in the air is affected by many factors:
meteorological conditions (especially wind speed, wind direction and atmospheric stability),
the emission height (e.g. ground level sources such as road traffic or high level sources such
as tall chimneys),
local and regional geographical features,
the source (e.g. fixed point, such as a chimney, or a diffuse number of sources such as cars
and solvents).
During dispersion pollutants undergo a wide array of changes and transfers. Dilution occurs
owing to mixing into the air. Separation or accumulation of pollutants occurs on the basis of
physical characteristics of the pollutant. Chemical reactions occur, breaking down the original
pollutant or converting it into new compounds. Some pollutants can also be removed from the
transporting medium through deposition, for example, by settling out under the effects of gravity,
by rain wash or by interception (scavenging) by plants and other obstructions.
Under most circumstances, the temperature of the atmosphere decreases with height, meaning it gets
colder the higher you go. However, a temperature inversion occurs when the atmosphere actually
becomes warmer as altitude increases. This typically occurs within a defined layer of the atmosphere.
Temperature inversions, when they occur, have a major impact on air pollution and air quality. There
are two types of inversions -- permanent and surface -- and each corresponds to a different impact.
Permanent temperature inversions occur high above the surface of the planet. In regard to air pollution,
the most important of these is the stratosphere. This atmospheric layer stretches from an average of
seven miles to 31 miles above the earth's surface. The stratosphere sits atop the troposphere, which is
the lowest layer of the atmosphere and home to the majority of all weather. The stratosphere’s
temperature inversion impacts global, long-term air pollution.
Surface temperature inversions occur directly above the earth’s surface, in the lower troposphere.
They're frequently triggered by rapid surface cooling, caused by the release of radiant energy overnight.
These inversions are also frequent during the winter months, when nights are long and the sun, low on
the horizon, heats the atmosphere more than the planet’s surface. Surface inversions impact local,
short-term air pollution.
Atmospheric Effects
Temperature inversions affect air pollution because they change the dynamics of air
movement. Warm air rises in the atmosphere because it is less dense and, therefore, more
buoyant than the cooler air above it. This tendency to rise is what creates the vertical
development found in thunderstorms. However, a temperature inversion prevents this vertical
movement, also known as convection. Stated differently, inversions function like an
atmospheric lid or blanket. This smothering effect traps air pollutants and allows their
concentrations to increase.
Surface inversions are responsible for producing smog, trapping the pollutants produced by
vehicles, fires and industrial activities. Furthermore, the hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides
present in these trapped pollutants are converted into harmful ozone by sunlight, which reduces
air quality. The stratosphere’s inversion traps pollutants within the stable layer, which is
something that typically occurs when greenhouse gases are injected high into the atmosphere
by volcanic eruptions. Without the vertical mixing provided by convection, these gases remain
suspended within the inversion layer and result in a long-term impact on the global climate.