Oakley 1

Aaron Oakley

Roxanna Dewey

English 101

9 November 2017

Air Pollution and its Environmental Impact

Some of the factors that contribute to air pollution are staples of our society. For

example, we endlessly burn fossil fuels and gasoline for daily transportation. However, a

remarkable amount of it comes purely from an irresponsible use of equipment and chemicals. To

elaborate, the improper use of pesticides, exhaust from factories, mining operations, and the

incorrect disposal of house chemicals all account for damage to our environment. These things

yield to gradual damage in the environment. Although there is a decent amount of it that we can't

do anything about, people must be aware of the causes that contribute to air pollution in order to

limit any further damage to our environment.

The most notorious cause of air pollution would be the combustion of fossil fuels, which

can be identified as petroleum, coal, gasoline, natural gas, and other flammable factory fumes.

We heavily rely on these sources of energy for modes of daily transport. For example, we drive

cars, trucks, jeeps, airplanes, and trains every day. Virtually all of them are powered by gasoline

and diesel engines that burn petroleum to release energy.(Woodford, par. 4) But these

overworked methods of transport are slowly killing our environment as gases gradually pollute

the air. The main pollutant that is harming our air is Carbon Monoxide, but another chemical that

is responsible for damage is Nitrogen Oxide. Both are byproducts of fossil fuels, usually caused

by incompletely or incorrectly burning them. These pollutants have led to many environmental
 Oakley 2

crisis. The most devastating effect of air pollution would be climate change, or as most people

know it, global warming. This is caused by a blanket of pollutants that keeps heat from leaving

the atmosphere. The trapped heat leads to increased temperatures globally, as well as an increase

in sea levels due to the melting of ice caps in colder regions. A direct result of that is the

displacement of cold weather habitats for animals such as polar bears, penguins, whales, and

seals. There is a disaster waiting to happen if action isn't taken in order to preserve those habitats.

Another effect of air pollution that correlates directly with the previous one is the thinning and

depletion of the ozone layer. Ozone is a gas that exists in the earths stratosphere, and is

responsible for shielding humans from the harmful ultraviolet rays that the sun emits. However,

it is gradually depleting due to the presence of a product known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

in our atmosphere. These compounds are lifted into the stratosphere by winds after being

released at the surface. For example, CFCs are released from aerosols such as refrigerant,

blowing agents, and degreasing solvents. As these chemicals reach our atmosphere, they harm

the ozone layer, making it get thinner and thinner. As it gets thinner, humans are exposed to

more of the harmful ultraviolet rays, which can cause skin and eye problems. Another effect that

correlates directly with that is acid rain. When it rains, the water droplets combine with the

chemicals stuck in the atmosphere, and then proceeds to fall to the ground in the form of acid

rain. Acid rain can affect the health of humans, animals, and crops.

Another major cause of air pollution would be the use of agricultural chemicals that most

people assume are harmless. The use of fertilizers, insecticides, and pesticides in agricultural

activities has significantly increased the past decade or so. Although it yields to more crops and

saves farmers some time on the field, it affects our environment more than most people would

anticipate. For example, it releases a byproduct classified as Ammonia into the environment.
 Oakley 3

Ammonia is a very common by product from agriculture related activities and is one of the

most hazardous gases in the atmosphere. (Kukreja, par. 6) This ammonia, among other things,

affect our environment in a way called water pollution. Runoff from farms carry away ammonia

as well as livestock waste, manure, pesticides, and oil toxins when it rains. This affects nearby

lakes and rivers, along with all of the fish that may inhabit them, potentially killing them. This

happens because the toxins deplete the water source of its oxygen. Another way that agriculture

accounts for pollution is through a process called eutrophication. Eutrophication is a condition

where high amount of nitrogen present in some pollutants gets developed on seas surface and

turns itself into algae and and adversely affect fish, plants and animal species. (Kukreja, par. 16)

This results in an excess layer of algae that resides on the top of lakes and rivers. This process

induces phytoplankton into the water, and noticeably diminishes the quality of it.

The final causes of air pollution include mining operations, along with the utilization of

factories and power plants. Mining occurs when minerals below the earth are extracted, typically

using large equipment to pull out valuable metals like gold and diamonds. During the process,

chemicals and dust are released into the air causing massive amounts of pollution. This is largely

responsible for the deteriorating health of the workers and nearby residents. To elaborate, it has

proven to cause heart and respiratory issues for not only the workers, but their families and

nearby residents as well. They are known to create several respiratory and heart conditions

along with Cancer, among other threats to the body. (Kukreja par. 12) The sad thing is that it

harms more than just the workers, while effecting their families too. The last cause would be the

exhaust emitted from power plants and factories. Those plants are major sources of harmful

emissions, they say, and the pollution that they produce can have harmful effects on human

health and the environment.(Infobase, par. 6) These factories constantly shoot smokestacks that
 Oakley 4

account for massive amounts of smog. Smog lingers in major cities like Los Angeles all the time

due to its high amount of city industrialization. According to the Smithsonian National Museum

of Natural History, smokestacks are responsible for 7 billion metric tons of pollution into the

atmosphere annually. That just goes to show how normal these factories and their byproducts

have become. Since these industries are so common, it is hard to find an area that has not been

affected by it. In some cases, it can damage a region enough to cause a change of habitat for the

nearby wildlife.

In short, we may have built a heavy reliance on many of the things that cause air

pollution. Although, it is our job to acknowledge our mistakes as well try to correct them. We

can do this by cutting back on our carbon footprint, while actively pursuing more efficient

sources of energy and transportation. Damage to our environment affects all of us. This is the

only world we have, and we should strive to take care of it better. It won't last forever if we keep

mistreating it the way we have been.

Works Cited

Kukreja, Rinkesh. Causes, Effects and Solutions of Air Pollution. Conserve Energy Future, 3
Jan.
2017, www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-of-air-pollution.php.

"Clean Air Act's Source Review Clause: Is the Clean Air Act's New Source Review
clause necessary to keep factories from polluting?"Issues & Controversies,
 Oakley 5

Infobase Learning, 17 Nov.

2006,http://icof.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?ID=2075. Accessed 7 Nov. 2017.

Woodford, Chris. "Air Pollution - A Simple Introduction to Its Causes and Effects."
Explain That Stuff. Explainthatstuff.com, 16 Feb. 2017. Web. 09 Nov. 2017.