Environmental pollution and maintenance

Environmental pollution is a global problem and its potential to influence the health of human population is great. In view of the current effect of the ever increasing environmental pollution that has adversely distorted the ecosystem, everybody in the world is curious about what will become of our planet earth. Human contact to pollution is said to be more intense now than any other time in human existence. The existence and reproduction of man on earth has caused a lot of impact and havoc on the environment which support life and all other human activities. Owing to human unchecked behaviour such as deforestation some species of plants has gone into elimination. The mass hunting of animals in the forest has also brought an end to some species of animals. Also pollution is tangled with the unsustainable anthropogenic activities, resulting in substantial public health problems. Also the rapid increase in activates today in many cities without proper planning and control is the outcome of slums that has penetrated in our physical environment. This is evident particularly in housing sector, transport, water supply, sanitation, power supply, industrial company and even in the employment sector. Those that are presently not employed are equally polluting our environment by engaging themselves in different harmful activities (stealing, smuggling, killing, terrorism, etc.).

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The environment and pollution

According to the dictionary the environment is that which surrounds us or the totality of the surrounding conditions, it can also means the area in which something exist or lives. Scientifically the earth is wrapped with four environmental units namely the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. This could be further split to include the land mass, the animals and man himself, the water body and the life contained in it, the air we breathe etc.
Environmental pollution is the process or act that human did during our daily lives which had polluted or contaminated the environment. The urban environment is usually polluted by three major sources; air, water, land.

Air pollution

sourceAir pollution is the most serious of all and it brings a serious effect on human health. Air pollution is the presence of any abnormal material or property in the air that reduces the usefulness of the air resources. The air naturally composes of 78% of nitrogen, 21% of oxygen, 0.9% of oxide gases and 0.1% of inert gases. If the air around us is contaminated with poisonous gases, it would have a fatal effect on us. The following are the major causes of air pollution;
• Increases in population and traffic
• Development of industries
• Development of automobile engineer
• Thermal and nuclear generation
• Development of agriculture

Forms of air pollution

• Smoke
• Dust
• Gases
• Particulate matter from industrials, power generation plants, road-way dust, etc.
• Automobile exhaust, etc.

Effect of air pollution on human health

• Lung diseases
• Skin diseases
• Respiratory paralysis
• Suffocation
• Irritation of eyes and throat

Effects on materials

• Deterioration of building materials
• Corrosion of metals

Land/soil pollution

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Land pollution is the degradation of the earth’s surface caused by a misuse of resources and improper disposal of waste. Land degradation includes deforestation, and decertification, which are closely related to deteriorating the environment. Land degradation gives rise to loss of productive soil and it reduces the capacity of soil to support it important uses. Naturally soil filters the underground water sources which are the root of the water we drink. If the filter is polluted the water also will be polluted.

Water pollution

sourceAs we all known that the water is a needed ingredient for our survival and healthy life, but water come to be contaminated from diseases bearing human inhospitable surroundings and also become polluted over and done with industrial effluent. The water pollution affects the health and quality of good soils and vegetation. This poor quality water causes health hazard and death of human being, aquatic life, and also disturbs the production of different crops. Polluted drinking water produces waterborne diseases like typhoid, liver and kidney damage, Ebola virus. Also Polluted water habit malaria carrier insects such as mosquitoes. Water pollution is also caused by chain reaction from soil pollution and air pollution. All other environmental pollutions are
• Noise pollution
• Light pollution
• Thermal pollution
• Visual pollution
• Radioactive pollution

Preventive measures for environmental pollution

• Educating the masses of the causes and danger of environment pollution
• Environmental planning
• Environmental design
• Research and development

In conclusion, to maintain our environment the following should be ask

• Who our environment should be sustained for?
  How long our environment should be sustained?

1. Who should be involved in keeping our environment from dying?
2. Where do we start?

Answers

• The future generation
• Many generations to come
• Everybody
• Where we are now

References

Health and Energy, (2007). Air Pollution Health Effects, Retrieved from
Air Pollution and health Effect.
Awalla COC (2013). Global Environmental sustainability (pgs 27-30)
printed by Good seed publishers Nsukka, Nigeria
Awalla COC (2013). Global Environmental sustainability. Goodseed
publishers, 100 Enugu Road, Nsukka, Enugu State. Pp. 63 – 67. .