There have been many advancements in our world since the mid-19th century of Industrial Revolution, although it has been an economic advantage, it has not produced any positive effects in the environment. The main sources of air and water pollution are mostly from human activities. It has introduced many new environmental problems and sources of water and air pollution. Pollution is the introduction of contamination materials into the natural environment that causes adverse changes. There are different forms of pollution, including water pollution, air pollution and even soil pollution. All the different types of pollution are known for their many harmful effects on the environment and human health. Water pollution is the act of dumping different foreign materials in water causing it to be contaminated which can be deadly to all life on planet Earth in the future. Air pollution is the mixture of many chemicals, gases and solid particles in the atmosphere that contaminate the air. For example, there are many things that may cause air pollution such as vehicle exhaust fumes, fossil fuel based power plants, smoke from industrial plants and factories, construction, mining, agricultural activities, natural causes, and even household activities including using bleach and smoking tobacco. Pollution has many dangerous effects such as accelerated global warming, human respiratory and heart concerns, acid rain and also wildlife endangerment. After reviewing the many causes and effects of air and water pollution, it is apparent that all forms of pollution are dangerous for future life on Earth.
The main sources of air and water pollution are from human activities. Ever since the Industrial Revolution, human population have increased, as well as the living standards. Technology and medicine has progressively become better since the Industrial Revolution. With the rise of the industries came the environmental degradation. Air pollution is created through many ways, it is either from human resources or natural causes. The main cause of air pollution is the burning of fossil fuels. The burning of fossil fuels releases many harmful and hazardous gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen. Some of the gases naturally occur in the atmosphere at a balanced level, but with the increased amount released by factories, it causes an imbalance of gases in the atmosphere. These greenhouse gases are harmful to the environment because it causes climate change. The greenhouse gases causes global warming by trapping the heat from the sun in the atmosphere. The warming of the Earth is bad for the environment because it is causing glaciers to melt and ocean sea levels to rise.
Air pollution is slowly destroying the environment and causing global warming. There are invisible and visible air pollution. The visible pollution is called smog, known more specifically as ground-level ozone. Smog is formed when industrial emissions from power plants, factories, cars, and other sources that react with heat and sunlight in the atmosphere. Smog is dangerous for the human health because when inhaled, it irritates the human airways that increase the risk of serious health problems such as heart and lung disease. “Strong scientific evidence shows hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks and numerous deaths annually at smog pollution levels lower than 70 ppb. “For this reason, we’ll continue to urge the EPA to issue stronger standards that protect our kids, older adults, people active outdoors and all Americans at risk.” (Stein). Invisible pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide, aren’t as noticeable, but they can be just as deadly, if not more. The main source of air pollution are industries and factories that release toxic chemicals, smog, and gases. Furthermore, air pollution creates an imbalance in the natural gases that take part in making up the Earth’s atmosphere. These imbalances in the natural gases cause the slow depletion of the Ozone layer, which is an essential region of the stratosphere that soaks up most of the sun’s damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays that protects humans from radiation and cancer. In the article of causes and solutions of Air Pollution, David Holt states that, “As the Ozone depletes, the rate of global warming increases. If enough air pollution clutters our environment, it creates the danger of more rapid deterioration of the Ozone layer.” (Holt). As stated in the book of Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, “Epidemiological analysis is needed to quantify the health impact in an exposed population. The major pollutants emitted by combustion have all been associated with increased respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
“The most famous disease outbreak of this type occurred in London in 1952, when 4,000 people died prematurely in a single week because of severe air pollution, followed by another 8,000 deaths during the next few months” (Kjellstrom). In addition, contaminated and polluted waterways that are used directly as sources for drinking water can create health risks because they have important roles for cleaning and washing, for fishing and farming, and also for recreation.
During the Industrial Revolution, water pollution also began to rise. As the industries grew, the more waste they made. To dispose the waste, they dumped a lot of hazardous chemicals and compounds into rivers, lakes, and oceans due to the easy access and fast removal. These pollutants in the water are harmful for humans, animals, and all other living things. There are many disadvantages that comes with water pollution. For example waterborne diseases, death of many different aquatic species and a hindrance to many water activities such as fishing, swimming, boating, etc. Water pollution increases nutrient loading, which eventually leads to eutrophication. Eutrophication is when====. A high oxygen demand is put on receiving water caused by organic wastes such as sewage and farm waste which can result in oxygen depletion with drastic impacts on the entire ecosystem. This means that plants, animals and all living organisms are at high health risks. A big amount of pollutants such as oils, heavy metals, organic toxins, and many other dangerous materials that are discharged from industries reduce oxygen availability. Crops grown with water that is contaminated with heavy metals pose a health risk to humans.
Although pollution seems to only have bad effects on the world, it also has some advantages. It is almost inevitable since there is so much economic growth depended on it. The industries are able to make huge amounts of profit by getting rid of the useless materials that contaminate water and oxygen source. In the article ”Pollution Controls” it explains the economic side of the argument on pollution, Robert W. Crandall mentions how the government is able to put a tax on those companies for their waste, in order to make more profit. Water pollution is inexpensive and it also helps in disposing harmful materials off of land. Water pollution helps in avoiding other forms of pollution because by dumping waste in water, land stays free of harmful materials. The crops will not be affected because the waste is dumped into large bodies of water instead of staying on the surface of land and acting as poison.. When materials are dumped in rivers, they become unavailable to human beings and hence cannot affect them directly. Air pollution is a big advantage for pharmaceutical companies because the more people are affected by different diseases caused by pollution then the more profit they have by selling medication, and their expanding companies. It is an economic advantage because the money stays circulating, although the people are being harmed. The government checks the levels of pollution to make sure it’s safe for the environment as mentioned in the article about stricter rules for smog by Sharyn Stein, “Every five years the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reviews air quality standards in light of any new medical evidence, and makes updates, if appropriate” (Stein). For countries who depend on natural resources, halting environmental pollution will undermine economic growth.
In conclusion, the evidence about the causes and effects of water and air pollution on the planet will only lead to the destruction of the atmosphere and increased risks of serious disease among humans and all organisms in any environment. As a result of the health risks and the big potential impact of climate change, there have been efforts to reduce pollution in the world. It is important for decision makers in developing countries and public health practitioners to be fully aware of the health and environmental risks caused by pollution to be able to come up with ways to slowly reduce it until it is no longer a threat to climate change and living organisms. There are many solutions to decreasing pollution. Countries can minimize the use of fossil fuel powered cars. They can be mindful of energy consumption, become an advocate for clean energy, and most importantly they can recycle more instead of contaminating the air and water with more materials. Air and water pollution can have some devastating impacts on people’s bodies and the planet if left untouched. It is time for real change.