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, for example, Hippocrates and Avicenna, emphasized the influence of the environment on the development of diseases. They argued that the state of the human body is influenced by food, air, water, and emotional state. According to research, more than 80% of diseases are caused by these reasons. Unfortunately, this knowledge has not led to respect for the environment.
Too late we realized that environmental pollution and human health are interconnected. Now we have begun to take environmental problems seriously when they have become rampant and the impact of the environment has become negative.
A person confidently transforms the environment, creating comfortable conditions for himself. Transport, industry, and agriculture are developing. In the process of economic activity, tons of waste are released into the airspace and 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 living conditions simultaneously worsen them. 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”.
Let's consider how environmental pollution affects human health, how it affects the biochemical processes of our body.
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Major air pollutants
A person cannot help but breathe. He does this continuously. The influence of the environment and its components on a person manifests itself every minute when he passes ambient air through his 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 inhale the air around us, assimilating the oxygen and some other substances contained in it.
The composition of this air is very different from what existed 100 years ago. This is due to the rapid development of factories and factories. Tons of substances are emitted into the air that are either foreign to the atmosphere or violate the percentage ratio of the components of the air mass.
2/3 of pollution comes from vehicle emissions. Combustion products of leaded gasoline, which contain 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 comes from emissions from thermal power plants, metallurgical and chemical plants.
The consequences of pollution on the human body are difficult to ignore. Diseases caused by environmental pollution are a serious problem and need to be addressed urgently.
They cause an increase in cancer and lead to allergic reactions. The immune system is severely affected. It has been observed that in cities with a polluted atmosphere, during influenza epidemics, there is a threefold increase in the incidence rate. At the same time, in more environmentally friendly areas, during an epidemic, people get the flu only 20% more often.
Sensitivity to air pollution depends on a person's age. The “risk group” includes children from 3 to 6 years old and elderly people over 60 years old. The polluted atmosphere has a stronger impact on them than on other age categories.
Harmful emissions enter the environment every day and almost constantly from various enterprises
Drastic measures must be taken to stop this pollution. It is worth thinking about alternative, cleaner energy sources. It is necessary to more actively use solar energy, as well as wind energy, ebbs and flows. With the strictest observance of safety measures, the use of nuclear energy has a positive effect.
You should also strictly monitor the amount of emissions during vehicle operation. Or switch to bicycles. After all, this is an excellent simulator and does not produce emissions.
The automotive industry should develop electric vehicles. 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 the 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 with it, and wash. We not only consume water in its pure form, but also receive it through food and 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 of groundwater is higher than that of open reservoirs. 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 ends up in the ground and water bodies. Oil leaks periodically occur 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.
Waste from human activity and industrial enterprises releases hazardous substances into the environment, which leads to a shortage of clean drinking water on a planetary scale.
Research has established that tons of harmful substances enter the water. There end up petroleum 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 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 impurity content in water. Fish eat plankton, and fish are caught and eaten by humans, who are at the top of the food chain. And the percentage of this substance that gets into its 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 are at greatest risk of contamination. And the main “superpredator” of our planet, which suffers more than other organisms from polluted water, is humans. The impact of environmental pollution on humans is greater than on other living beings. Over the years of life, a huge amount of harmful elements accumulates in his body. Their concentration eventually reaches sizes 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 and rapidly growing landfills of household waste are all sources of soil pollution.
We should also not forget about agricultural activities. All kinds of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides that enter the soil contain chemicals that have a harmful effect on humans. And they enter our body with grown vegetables, grains and fruits. We also consume these substances through 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 characteristic of older people.
Environmental pollution and human health
Back in the 80s of the last century, studies were conducted that took into account the dependence 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%. At the same time, the environmental factor increases to 40 percent. Thus, environmental pollution and human health are much more closely 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 problems have risen to their full potential. If man's influence on nature has led to an environmental disaster, then 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. This is the only way we can save our Earth from the gradual extinction of living organisms and its transformation into a desert. After all, man is the crown of nature. And only he is able to correct the situation, turning the planet into a cozy and flourishing oasis.
Clean air is necessary for a person to maintain and maintain normal health. For a long time, the issue of its pollution was not given the necessary attention. However, with the development of industry and the growth of transport per capita, the atmosphere in cities is rapidly becoming polluted, people breathe air poisoned by various toxic chemical compounds.
Therefore, this problem directly concerns each of us. Indeed, according to the World Health Organization, air pollution and human health are directly related - an atmosphere filled with chemical waste is one of the main factors in the development of many dangerous diseases.
The impact of air pollution on human health
Doctors have long identified a connection between the atmosphere of large cities, filled with harmful substances, and the increase in the number of respiratory diseases. A city dweller inhales huge amounts of gases, dust, and particulates every day. They come into direct contact with the surface of the lungs, and penetrate into the body many times faster than through the stomach, and act several tens of times more powerfully.
Therefore, the development of asthma and the appearance of allergies are directly associated with inhalation of air, which contains sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and dust, as well as hydrocarbons, which contain chlorine and fluorine.
Chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract and some skin diseases may appear due to the presence of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere. The occurrence of angina pectoris is also associated with this chemical compound.
The presence of high iron content in the air is one of the reasons for the development of urolithiasis, and the presence of copper contributes to obesity and leads to the occurrence of pathologies of the musculoskeletal system.
Air pollution is called one of the significant factors in the development of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. The most dangerous for humans are nitrogen dioxide and fine dust. These harmful compounds, even in relatively low concentrations, increase the risk of early death in people under forty.
Industrial enterprises and heating systems that burn coal are often located near cities and towns. Their emissions into the atmosphere, combined with car exhaust, saturate the city air with tiny harmful particles, which, when constantly inhaled, provoke excessive thickening of the blood. This, in turn, leads to the formation of blood clots in the cavities of blood vessels, significantly increasing the risk of developing hypertension.
In addition, regular inhalation of air filled with various harmful substances provokes nervous disorders, reduces performance, has a negative effect on the immune system, and weakens the body as a whole.
According to statistics, approximately five percent of all hospitalizations in megacities occur precisely due to the direct impact of air pollution on human health.
It is impossible not to note the extremely negative impact of various harmful substances in the atmosphere on the health of newborns.
In addition, many substances affect the intrauterine development of the fetus.
In particular, if a pregnant woman regularly inhales air in which the content of ozone and carbon monoxide is high, the likelihood of giving birth to a child with developmental defects - cleft lip, cleft palate, or various heart valve defects - increases.
This is especially dangerous at the very beginning of pregnancy - the first three months.
Fighting air pollution or how to protect air from pollution...
Our country is doing a lot of work to clean up the atmosphere and prevent its pollution. Thus, with the adoption of the Law on the Protection of Atmospheric Air, various measures are being taken, in particular, to prevent urban air pollution from road transport.
In addition, measures are taken for landscaping, since green spaces help maintain a clean atmosphere - they saturate it with oxygen, clean it of dust and solid particles (harmful substances settle on the leaves). Poplars and lilacs are especially good in this sense.
To maintain clean air and prevent air pollution, streets are watered in many cities in the summer. Abundant watering prevents dust particles from rising into the air.
It is legally prohibited to burn garbage, dry grass, and fallen leaves in parks and gardens, since when they are burned, many harmful and sometimes toxic substances are released into the atmosphere.
In order to reduce the impact of a polluted atmosphere on health, city residents are advised to travel outside the city more often, engage in feasible sports, and drink more clean, filtered water.
In order to purify the air, air conditioners are installed in many public places - hospitals, large stores, theaters, concert halls, etc. In educational institutions and kindergartens, wet cleaning is carried out several times a day, and playrooms, bedrooms, and classrooms are ventilated more often.
Experts recommend that city residents, pregnant women, as well as those who suffer from various diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, go outdoors more often, especially on hot, dry days, and spend their vacations outside the city.
The impact of atmospheric pollution on people's lives and health
Acid rain and public health.
Toxic effect of pollutants in water bodies The effect of sounds on humans
Biological effects of various types of radiation
Biological pollution and human disease
Nutrition and human health
Food quality
Reasons for deterioration in the quality of food products
The impact of air pollution on people's lives and health
All air pollutants affect human health to a greater or lesser extent. These substances enter the human body primarily through the respiratory system. The respiratory organs suffer directly from pollution, since about 50% of impurities with a radius of 0.01-0.1 microns that penetrate the lungs settle in them. Particles that enter the body cause a toxic effect because they:
a) toxic (poisonous) by their chemical or physical nature;
b) serve as an obstacle to one or more mechanisms by which the respiratory (respiratory) tract is normally cleansed;
c) serve as a carrier of a toxic substance absorbed by the body.
In some cases, exposure to one pollutant in combination with others leads to more serious health problems than exposure to either one alone. The duration of exposure plays a big role.
Statistical analysis made it possible to fairly reliably establish the relationship between the level of air pollution and diseases such as upper respiratory tract diseases, heart failure, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, emphysema, and eye diseases. A sharp increase in the concentration of impurities persists for several days, increases mortality in older people from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases In December 1930, the Meuse Valley (Belgium) experienced severe air pollution for 3 days resulting in hundreds of people getting sick and 60 people dying - more than 10 times higher than average. In January 1931, severe air smoke was observed in the Manchester area (Great Britain) for 9 days, causing the death of 592 people. Cases of severe air pollution in London, accompanied by numerous fatal consequences, became widely known. In 1873, 268 were noted in London. unexpected deaths. Heavy smoke combined with fog between 5 and 8 December 1852 led to the death of more than 4,000 residents of Greater London. In January 1956, about 1,000 Londoners died as a result of prolonged smoke. Most of those who died unexpectedly suffered from bronchitis, emphysema or cardiovascular disease.
Let's name some air pollutants that have a harmful effect on humans. It has been established that people who professionally deal with asbestos have an increased likelihood of cancer of the bronchi and diaphragms that separate the chest and abdominal cavity. Beryllium has a harmful effect (including the occurrence of cancer) on the respiratory tract, as well as on the skin and eyes. Mercury vapor causes disruption of the central upper nervous system and kidneys. Since mercury can accumulate in the human body, it will eventually And exposure leads to mental impairment.
In cities, as a result of air pollution, which is constantly increasing, the number of patients suffering from diseases such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema, various allergic diseases and lung cancer is steadily increasing. In the UK, 10% of deaths are due to chronic bronchitis, with 21% of the population aged 40-59 suffering from the disease. In Japan, in a number of cities, up to 60% of residents suffer from chronic bronchitis, the symptoms of which are a dry cough with frequent expectoration, progressive difficulty breathing and heart failure (in this regard, it should be noted that the so-called Japanese economic miracle of the 50s - 60s years was accompanied by severe pollution of the natural environment of one of the most beautiful areas of the globe and serious damage caused to the health of the population of this country). In recent decades, the number of people suffering from bronchial and lung cancer has been growing rapidly, the occurrence of which is facilitated by carcinogenic carbohydrates.
When relatively small amounts of toxic substances are systematically or periodically introduced into the body, chronic poisoning occurs. Signs of chronic poisoning are disturbances in normal behavior and habits, as well as neuropsychological abnormalities: rapid fatigue or a feeling of constant fatigue, drowsiness or, conversely, insomnia, apathy, decreased attention, absent-mindedness, forgetfulness, severe mood swings.
In chronic poisoning, the same substances in different people can cause various diseases of the kidneys, hematopoietic organs, nervous system, and liver. Similar signs are observed during radioactive contamination of the environment.
Thus, in areas affected by radioactive contamination as a result of the Chernobyl disaster, the incidence among the population, especially children, increased many times.
Highly biologically active chemical compounds can cause long-term effects on human health: chronic inflammatory diseases of various organs, changes in the nervous system, effects on the intrauterine development of the fetus, which leads to various abnormalities in newborns.
Doctors have established a direct connection between the increase in the number of people suffering from allergies, bronchial asthma, cancer, and the deterioration of the environmental situation in this region. It has been reliably established that production wastes such as chromium, nickel, beryllium, asbestos, and many pesticides? carcinogens, that is, they provoke cancer. Even in the first half of the 20th century, cancer in children was almost unknown, but now it is becoming more and more common. As a result of pollution, new, previously unknown diseases appear. Their causes can be very difficult to establish.
Smoking causes enormous harm to human health. A smoker not only inhales harmful substances, but also pollutes the atmosphere and puts other people at risk. It has been established that people who are in the same room with a smoker inhale even more harmful substances than the smoker himself.
What is the impact of air pollution on humans, you will learn from this article.
Air pollution and human health
Scientists have conducted numerous studies that have confirmed the relationship between diseases and air pollution. Every day, mixtures of different pollutants are thrown into it. The harmful effects of air pollution on human health were first discovered in London in 1952.
Every person is affected differently by air pollution. Factors taken into account include age, lung capacity, health status and time spent in the environment. Large particles of pollutants negatively affect the upper respiratory tract, and small particles can penetrate into the alveoli of the lungs and small airways
A person exposed to air pollutants may experience long- and short-term effects. It all depends on the influencing factors. But, one way or another, this leads to heart disease, lung disease and stroke.
Symptoms of diseases associated with air pollution are phlegm production, chronic cough, lung infections, heart attack, lung cancer, heart disease.
Also, emissions of pollutants into the air from vehicles affect fetal growth retardation in a pregnant woman and cause premature birth.
How does ozone affect health?
Ozone, which is an integral part of the atmosphere, also affects humans. US researchers claim that changes in ozone concentrations in the atmosphere in summer lead to increased mortality rates.
There are 3 factors that determine the response to ozone exposure:
- Concentration: The higher the ozone level, the more people suffer from it.
- Duration: Long-term exposure has a strong negative effect on the lungs.
- Volume of air inhaled: Increased human activity contributes to a greater negative effect on the lungs.
Symptoms of the influence of ozone on health are irritation and inflammation of the lungs, a feeling of tightness in the chest, and coughing. As soon as its effect stops, the symptoms disappear.
How do particulate matter affect health?
Fine particles released into the air quickly affect the lungs, as they penetrate the alveoli and small airways. They damage them irreversibly. Also, a distinctive feature of fine particles is that they can remain suspended in the air for a long time and be transported over long distances. In addition, they enter the blood and affect the heart.
