November 21st has
been declared the World Pure Air Day. Every single time we think about the old
times, we can realize how lucky our grandparents
were because they had a much better
environment and the chance to breathe cleaner air. Pure air consists of a
mixture of gases in proper proportion which is good for living things, it means
seventy eight percent of nitrogen, about twenty one percent of oxygen, and in
very small quantities of carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, and water vapor. So,
it means pure air is free from germs and harmful gases. It sounds so easy to
conserve it, but the reality is that through the years, this important natural
resource has been polluted and the human beings are not contributing to stop that.
It is important to know that smog, greenhouse gases, and other top air
polluntants are affecting the planet and
our health.
Air Pollution and its Effects
Air pollution is
a mixture of solid particles and gases in the air. Chemicals from factories, greenhouse
effect emissions, fuel burning, etc… are considered air pollutants which are extremely
dangerous for human health and the planet.
According to the World Health Organization, each year air pollution is
responsible for nearly seven million deaths around the world. Exposure to high
levels of air pollution can cause a variety of health problems, increasing
cases of respiratory infections, lung cancer, and more. The environment affected
by air pollution, can damage crops and trees in different ways. Just to mention
some environmental impacts, such as Global Warming, that will
affect the climate of different regions, the
distribution of plants and animals, it will create disturbance in
agriculture and food production, increase the melting of snow, and develop an important
raise in the sea levels, in the next 50 years. On the other hand, formation
of acid rain is a serious thing that affects our environment, too. Sulphur
dioxide and nitrogen oxides react with water in the atmosphere producing
sulphuric acid and nitric acid. These acids come down along with the rain. This
phenomenon is called acid rain. It affects productivity of plants by damaging
the leaves, entering the soil and affecting it. It enters the ground and river
waters which causes harm to the aquatic life, too.
Help to Reduce Air Pollution and Maintain
Pure Air in our Environment.
We have to be conscious
that all of us need to contribute to help reduce air pollution. Remember, the
less gasoline we burn, the better. Another suggestion could be choosing another
way of transportation, you can either
take the public transportation or if you have a car, you can carpool with other
colleagues, walk or even ride a bike are good choices, too. Buying local food
is helping to this situation, if you buy locally you cut down on the fossil fuels burn in transporting
food from across our countries. If we
live or work near areas prone to wildfires, keep away from the harmful smoke,
wear masks if necessary. And one of the most vital recommendations nowadays is
to wear sunscreen, when ultraviolet radiations comes through the weakened ozone
layer, it can damage your skin or you can get skin cancer. We can do many
positive things to keep the air pure. Let’s get involved and start at home.
Narcisa Auria J.
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