RUNNING HEAD: The Levels of Impact of Air Pollution

A Study on the Different Levels of Impact of Air Pollution

Garfield Smith - 1600948

University of Technology, Jamaica

Air Pollution Assignment

Lecturer: Dr. Lisa Bramwell

Date of Submission: February 24, 2020

The Levels of Impact of Air Pollution

A Study on the Different Levels of Impact of Air Pollution

Air pollution refers to the release of pollutants into the air that are detrimental to

human health and the planet as a whole. A wide range of human activities contribute to air

pollution and poor air quality. The impacts of air pollution can be felt on a personal, local,

regional and global scale.

Personal and Local Effects

Air pollution may have severe health impacts and as such its personal effects must be

considered. There are many sources of air pollution including NOx, CO, and particulate

matter (PM). PM concentration is a key air quality indicator since it is the most common air

pollutant that affects short term and long-term health. Short term symptoms resulting from

exposure to air pollution include itchy eyes, nose and throat, wheezing, coughing, shortness

of breath, chest pain, headaches, nausea, and upper respiratory infections such as bronchitis

and pneumonia ("Jamaica General Health Risks: Air Pollution"). It also exacerbates asthma

and emphysema. Long term effects include lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic

respiratory illness, and developing allergies. Air pollution is also associated with heart attacks

and strokes. The quality of the air we breath is of great importance for our personal health

and well-being.

The main sources of air pollution in Jamaica are industrial, motor vehicle emissions;

open burning by individuals and businesses, garbage dumps, and forest or bush fires. Jamaica

has had many issues in recent years regarding fires at fires at landfills which has resulted in

respiratory illnesses in residents. Among the cities reporting to the World Health

Organization, Clarendon/Hayes, Ewarton and Kingston have high levels of particulate matter

contributing to poor air quality ("Jamaica General Health Risks: Air Pollution"). The

National Environmental and Planning Agency (NEPA) is the regulatory body in charge of
The Levels of Impact of Air Pollution

monitoring and regulating air quality in the island. The agency has been accused of not

carrying out its duties on several occasions. In February of 2018 an issue arose after a late-

night burning of what the authorities believe were motor vehicle tyres which caused

respiratory issues among residents in several communities (Jamaica Observer Limited, "Air

pollution worry", 2018). Calls for the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) to

conduct air quality tests in the area left residents with more concerns because NEPA had

disclosed that it is unable to carry out the tests, as the air quality monitor that was set up in

Washington Gardens in 2012 has not worked since 2015. Although air quality standards are

implemented, they are often exceeded due to lack of monitoring and regulations. This seems

to be a recurring problem in Jamaica as well as other countries in the region.

The CEO of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) Diana McCaulay did an interview

with the Jamaica Gleaner in February of 2017 following an issue in Portmore, St Catherine

where residents were allegedly breathing in some of the worst-quality air across Jamaica as

unregulated garbage dumps, illegal burning and other activities affected their environment.

During this interview she highlighted many things including the fact that Jamaica has no

motor vehicle emission standards, and while we do have air-quality regulations for major and

significant facilities as defined by law, these facilities (mainly industrial) are required to do

their own testing for a number of pollutants (depending on the industry) and report those tests

to NEPA ("Jamaica choking - JET calls for action on air pollution", 2017). "Except for

particulates, NEPA does not have the equipment to do independent testing for the criteria

pollutants (for which there are air quality standards), let alone the 78 priority pollutants (for

which there are guideline levels) identified in the air-quality regulations," McCaulay said.

"NEPA does not proactively release information on air quality in a form that is

understandable by a layperson so it is not easy for a citizen to find out what he or she is

breathing." ("Jamaica choking - JET calls for action on air pollution", 2017)
The Levels of Impact of Air Pollution

Regional and Global Effects

In recent years, the Caribbean and Latin American region has experienced challenges

as a result of air pollution due to urban development and industrialization. Industrial areas in

cities, stationary-source fuel combustion and emissions from vehicles are some of the main

sources of air pollution in the region. This results in pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and

particulate matter, photochemical oxidants, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide, and lead

which can cause adverse health effects (Romieu, Weitzenfeld, & Finkelman, 1991). Some

countries in the region have established air quality standards but these are exceeded

frequently due to poor regulation.

Air pollution from GHGs such as ozone contribute to global warming. This is a

gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to

the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other

pollutants ("Global Warming: Meaning of Global Warming by Lexico"). This leads to a

myriad of environmental effects such as changing rainfall patterns as shown in the diagram

below.
The Levels of Impact of Air Pollution

Figure 1. Five rainfall zones over the Caribbean and neighbouring regions (McClean et. al. 2015).

“The prevailing pattern is a tendency towards more intense rainfall events over zones 1 to 4,

with less consensus changes in the dry and wet spell lengths. The suggestion for zone 5 is that

drier conditions will prevail.” (McClean et. al. 2015). This means that there will be more

storms in the northern Caribbean and more droughts in the southern Caribbean.

Other environmental effects include a rise in sea surface temperatures. According to

the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) a 1oC increase in sea surface

temperatures will cause a 1- 8% increase in hurricane wind speeds and a 6-18% increase in

core rainfall from hurricanes. The Caribbean region is considered to be one of the most

vulnerable to global climate change and as such the adverse effects of air pollution poses a

serious threat to the region.

Some pollutants have a tendency to remain in the atmosphere and as a result they are

carried by winds over long distances. Therefore, air pollution is not only a local or regional

concern but also a global issue since it transcends all borders. An example of this is acid rain

which is a notable regional and even continental problem. Acid rain occurs when the

pollutants sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides combine with water vapour in the atmosphere,

forming sulfuric acid and nitric acid mists. The resulting acidic precipitation is acid rain. It is

able to change entire ecosystems. Notably it has caused the disappearance of fish from many

lakes in the Adirondack Mountains of North America, the widespread death of forests in

mountains of Europe, and damage to tree growth in the United States and Canada

(Nathanson, 2020). Acid rain can also corrode building materials and be hazardous to human

health.

Ozone depletion is also a global problem that results from air pollution that affects the

entire planet. A large “ozone hole” present annually between August and November over the
The Levels of Impact of Air Pollution

continent of Antarctica was discovered in 1985 (Nathanson, 2020). This ozone-deleted region

has increased in size due to the presence of chlorofluorocarbons/CFCs (from aerosol spray

cans, refrigerators, industrial solvents etc) in the atmosphere which were transported to

Antarctica by atmospheric circulation. Ozone layer depletion causes increased UV radiation

levels at the Earth's surface, which is damaging to human health. Negative effects include

increases in certain types of skin cancers, eye cataracts and immune deficiency disorders.

These harmful UV radiation can also damage plants and marine ecosystems.

Air pollution is an issue that affects every individual on this planet. It is the cause of

many adverse environmental problems and the result of human negligence. Air pollution is an

issue that must be tackled on a global scale to ensure the safety and well-being of humans and

the environment. Countries across the world need to have strictly enforced regulations that

will aid in the reduction of air pollution and protect the health of individuals.
The Levels of Impact of Air Pollution

References

Global Warming: Meaning of Global Warming by Lexico. (n.d.). Retrieved from:

https://www.lexico.com/definition/global_warming

Jamaica choking - JET calls for action on air pollution. (2017, February 7). Retrieved from:

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20170207/jamaica-choking-jet-calls-

action-air-pollution

Jamaica General Health Risks: Air Pollution. (n.d.). Retrieved from:

https://www.iamat.org/country/jamaica/risk/air-pollution

Jamaica Observer Limited. (n.d.). Air pollution worry. Retrieved from:

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/front-page/air-pollution-worry-officials-yet-to-

locate-late-night-tyre-burning-site-affecting-residents_126512?profile=1606

Nathanson, J. A. (2020, January 24). The global reach of air pollution. Retrieved from:

https://www.britannica.com/science/air-pollution/The-global-reach-of-air-pollution

Romieu, I., Weitzenfeld, H., & Finkelman, J. (1991). Urban Air Pollution in Latin America

and the Caribbean. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 41(9),

1166–1171.