Air Pollution

Clean air is life-giving since it is needed by humans, animals and plants to support life on earth. Clean air consists of about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and less that 1% carbon dioxide and other gases as well as water vapour.

Air is said to be polluted when gas, liquid or solid particles called pollutants are released in the atmosphere in large enough quantities to harm the health of people, animals and plant life. Many pollutants occur naturally in our atmosphere. These include dust, salt from the sea, sand, pollen, soil particles and gases emitted from volcanoes. Much of our pollutants however, result from human activities. These activities include forest fires, burning of solid waste, chemical sprays, burning of bush as land is cleared for farming and emission from factories, vehicles, airplanes, ships and trains

We encounter pollutants every day. In humans, they may result in coughing, lung and heart diseases and even cancer. Being exposed to large amounts of polluted air on a long term basis may even result in death. Air pollution can weaken plants, stunt their growth, cause their leaves to fall, make them more susceptible to insect infestation and even cause them to die. In animals, overexposure to toxic air can cause damage to their respiratory system, allow them to develop tumors and even heart disease.

There are many things that we can do to control air pollution. We can use fewer chemicals, refuse to burn garbage, bush and grass! We should not smoke and we should service vehicles regularly and install pollutant control devices in them. Then, we should plant many trees. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen in the atmosphere. Some trees absorb odours and other pollutants. Trees also release water vapour in the atmosphere keep us cool.