Jakarta – Air pollution or air pollution is an environmental problem that causes negative impacts. The impact of bad air pollution threatens human health and the surrounding environment, including the sustainability of living creatures on Earth.
There are several negative impacts of air pollution on health and the environment. Read the full explanation below:
Impact of Air Pollution on Health
From a health perspective, air pollution or air pollution can impact human health. Quoting from the Banten Province Environment and Hygiene Service (DLHK), the following is a list of the impacts of air pollution on health:
1. Give rise to disease germs
Dirty air contains dangerous substances, ranging from chemicals, dust to carrying germs of disease. Diseases caused by air pollution include shortness of breath, asthma, and it does not rule out the possibility of causing cancer.
2. Makes eyes red and irritated
Dust from air pollution can enter the eyes, which can make them red and interfere with vision. To protect your eyes from getting dust or dirt, when traveling, you should wear road glasses and then wash your face when you arrive at your destination.
3. Itchy and scaly skin
Dust from air pollution can stick to the skin and can cause several types of symptoms, so that the skin becomes itchy and scaly. Try to keep showering regularly every day, so that your skin remains clean, well-groomed and healthy.
4. Irritation of the respiratory tract
The amount of dirty dust that is inhaled is not very good for human health. If this happens continuously, it can cause the movement of the cilia to become slow, it is even possible that it can stop, so that it cannot clear the respiratory tract.
5. Respiratory problems
Dirty air containing carbon dioxide and other toxic gases is very dangerous for the human respiratory system. Dirty air that enters the body through the respiratory tract can also cause acute respiratory infections, such as asthma and bronchitis. It is possible that if we are continuously exposed to polluted air, it could have very fatal consequences, up to lung cancer.
6. Disrupts children’s growth and development
Dirty air contains lead, which if it enters a child’s respiratory tract, will have very dangerous effects. It can cause obstacles to
children’s growth and development. Meanwhile, in adults, lead can affect the reproductive system or fertility.
7. Reduce visibility
This can happen if air pollution is heavy. If the smoke is thick, it can interfere with vision, which can automatically reduce visibility. If visibility is reduced, one solution is to walk more carefully or slower to avoid collisions or accidents. In fact, not only are we as humans disturbed, airport activities are also disrupted and can even cause delays for some departures.
8. The main cause of global warming
Global warming, or what we know as global warming, can result in an increase in the earth’s temperature, which also causes sea water to rise.
9. Disorders of the reproductive system
Air pollution can also disrupt the reproductive system. In fact, it is also possible that not only the reproductive system is disturbed, but several other organs such as the kidneys and heart can also be affected.
10. Plants are disturbed until they die
In the presence of air pollution or air pollution, plants can also be attacked by disease. The disease starts from black spots, chlorosis, necrosis and several other diseases.
Impact of Air Pollution on the Environment
Apart from being detrimental to human health, the impact of air pollution or air pollution can cause various effects on the environment of living creatures. Still referring to information from the Banten Province DLHK, the following is a list of the impacts of air pollution on the environment:
1. Acid Rain
Acid rain is rain that contains dangerous nitric and sulfuric acids. In the environment, acid rain damages trees and causes soil and water bodies to become acidic, making the water unsuitable for some fish and other wildlife. This also accelerates the decay of buildings and statues.
2. Eutrophication
A condition in a body of water where the concentration of nutrients (such as nitrogen) is high which stimulates the growth of algae, which can cause fish die-offs and the loss of plants and animals. Human activities can greatly accelerate eutrophication by increasing the amount of nutrients entering aquatic ecosystems. Nitrogen oxide emissions from power plants, cars, trucks, and other sources contribute to the amount of nitrogen entering aquatic ecosystems.
3. Haze
Caused when sunlight encounters small polluting particulates in the air. Haze obscures the clarity, color, texture, and shape of what we see. Some haze-causing pollutants (mostly very small particles) are directly emitted into the atmosphere by sources such as power plants, industrial facilities, trucks and cars, and construction activities. In addition, it is formed when gases are emitted into the air (such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide) to form particulates.
4. Ozone depletion
Ozone is a gas that occurs both at the bottom and in the upper part of the Earth’s atmosphere, known as the stratosphere. At a basic level, ozone is a pollutant that can harm human health. In the stratosphere, ozone forms a layer that protects life on earth from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.
5. Global climate change
Humans have disrupted the natural balance by producing large amounts of several greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane. As a result, the Earth’s atmosphere retains more of the sun’s heat, causing the Earth’s average temperature to rise, a phenomenon known as global warming. Many scientists believe that global warming can have significant impacts on human health, agriculture, water resources, forests, wildlife, and coastal areas.
Efforts to Prevent the Impact of Air Pollution
To overcome the occurrence of air pollution, several preventive measures can be taken, including:
- Replacing motor vehicle fuel with fuel that does not produce carbon monoxide gas.
- Processing or recycling industrial smoke waste
- Greening and reforestation or replanting replacement trees
- Stop forest burning.
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