ICEH
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AIR POLLUTION & RESPIRATORY ILLNESS
Indra,
Mrs. G. “Air Pollution And Respiratory Illness” in
Martin J. Bunch, V. Madha Suresh and T. Vasantha Kumaran, eds.,
Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Environment
and Health, Chennai, India, 15-17 December, 2003. Chennai: Department
of Geography, University of Madras and Faculty of Environmental
Studies, York University. Pages 169 – 174.
Abstract:
The Oxford
English Dictionary defines pollution as “the act of polluting”.
“Pollute” means destroy the purity or sanctity; make
foul or filthy. It is one of the gigantic crises of our environment
today. It causes global warning, or the Green House Effect and
the depletion of the Ozone layer, acid rain and so on.
Air pollution
in cities has increased as more and more people have crowded into
them. Rapid industrialization, urbanization, oil, fuel, oil and
smelting industries, motor vehicles, and very big dust bins are
emitting poison gases that affect human beings. Gaseous pollutants
and particulate pollutants are affecting our world population.
Polluted air
affects animals, plants, materials, the atmosphere and especially
human beings. Carbon monoxide, Sulphur dioxide, Nitric oxide,
Hydrogen sulphide, aldehydes and hydrocarbons cause many disease
viz., reducing haemoglobin in the blood, temporary spasm of the
smooth muscles of the bronchioles, cough, spasm of the larynx,
irritating of the membranes of the eyes, ears and nose, pulmonary
haemorrhage, lung cancer, brain damage, emphysema, abnormal births,
impotency of males, etc.
Radioactive
and thermal pollution has been used to identify the detrimental
effects of heated charges. Cosmic rays are bombardment of the
atmosphere. Tritium potassium 40, Rubidium 87 Radon-222, Uranium-238,
thorium, polonium, plutonium, Alpha, Beta, Comma and X-rays and
also nuclear explosions pollute the atmosphere.
On the basis
of existing knowledge, considerable pollution of the atmosphere
can be avoided without undue capital expenditure. Certain emissions
from special processes; however, appear to be unavoidable with
present techniques, and others can be reduced only at a great
cost. Intensified research is needed to obtain more information
on methods to significantly reduce the quantity of pollutants
discharged from special processes.
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