How does pollution in large cities affect human health?

It is generally known that, with the development of industry, the environment

becomes deterioration. The fast speed of the development leaves us serious

pollution problems, which may affect human health. It is more prominent in

urban areas as a result of excessive industrialization. In 1930, 6000 people

became ill and 60 died by breathing toxic gases emitted from factories in the

Meuse Valley in Belgium[ CITATION Joh08 \l 2052 ]. In addition, approximately half of

the population in China (about 700 million people) drink water which has animal

and human excreta in it (Environ Health Perspectives 107:251-256; 1999).This

essay is going to analyze the two main pollutions: air pollution and water

pollution, and how they affect human health.

According to Lester and Eugene’s research (1970), the relationship between air

pollution and respiratory diseases is quite close. A few studies by Lester have

shown that there is a qualitative link between air pollution and human health.

First, the toxic gases emitted from burning fossil fuels should be the biggest

pollution source that affects human health. People may become ill by breathing

in fumes. In large cities, especially in industrialized ones, toxic gases were let out

constantly into the air from transportation systems and factories. There are two

convincing examples which have proved that people will became ill by breathing

in the air with toxic fumes: in Donora, Pennsylvania, 6000 people got sick and 20

died in 1948; in1952 ten thousand people became ill and 4000 died in London

[ CITATION Joh08 \l 2052 ] . It is generally known that human beings have burned so

many fossil fuels. Therefore, many erosive elements are released into the air like

sulfur, dioxide and oxides of nitrogen. As these toxic fumes mix with moisture

and oxygen, the air is polluted. According to Lester and Eugene’s study (1970),

when toxic gases cover an area for a week or more, the pollution forms

substantially. People who live in the area have to breathe in dirty air every

moment. The pollution not only damage human health by breathing, but also

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hurt people by affect people’s mood. As the pollution have an effect on human

beings in multiform, it kill more people than other pollution or accidents. As

Seitz’s recent study shows, in France, Switzerland and Austria, more people were

killed by toxic air than car accidents in the three countries; in the late 1990s,

nearly 80 million people in urban areas in the United States where the air was

poor enough to breathe during few days of the year. Air pollution damages

people’s life chronically in the form which is un-seen. Moreover, in parts of

southern California, over 400 days the air was unhealthy to breathe from 2000 to

2002 (Seskin, 1970). Toxic gases not only pollute air directly, but also lead to

acid rain. With A period of sunlight, those fumes can mix easily into moisture and

oxygen in the atmosphere. At the same time, ’’sulfur dioxide becomes sulfuric

acid while the oxides of nitrogen become nitric acid’’ [ CITATION Joh08 \l 2052 ]. The

acid can dissolve limestone and damage farmlands. A research has shown that

two thirds of China suffers acid rain every year, which will be serious for the

government to reduce. [ CITATION Joh08 \l 2052 ]

Second, indoor air pollution is also severe in large cities. Majid Ezzati(2005) has

shown that it is one of the most urgent environment problems. Harmful

substance which emitted from furniture, fitment dope and some clad plates can

damage human health seriously. The main pollutants are phenols and aldehydes.

For instance, NO2, N2O5. Those mixtures of pollutants emitted from the dope

have been identified as the cause of acute respiratory infections, chronic

obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer (for coal smoke), asthma,

nasopharyngeal and laryngeal cancers, tuberculosis, and diseases of the

eye(Majid Ezzati, 2005). According to the research from American Public Health

Association in 2004, because of harmful substance, the asthma rates will

increase highly. Moreover, according to Ezzati’s study showed that 3% of lung

and asthma diseases were attributable to indoor air pollution Chan (1998). If

nothing done to it, indoor air pollution may be the biggest problem in the future.

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Finally, water pollution also affects human health. Industrial waste has been

dumped into nearby water as often as into the air overhead. With the industry

rapidly developing, the need for water is increasing at the same time. A great

deal of waste water is poured by factories every day. According to Seitz’s

research (2008), the dirty water is directly poured into rivers and seas from

industrial factories, cities streets and the public residences. Therefore, chemicals

can mix into clear water, especially go into the water which used for people’s

drinking water. Some sort of water pollution also comes from air pollution. They

are from coal burning factories, transportation systems, or other chemicals.

Unfortunately, many factories can not clear the harmful substance from the

water. Therefore, a great deal of chemicals are in the water, For instance,

insecticides, antibiotics, fire retardants, disinfectants, degraded detergents,

insect repellents, some nonprescription drugs, and steroidal compounds [ CITATION

Joh08 \l 2052 ]. Huge amount of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizes which run off

fields during storms became the main causes of water pollution. Seitz’s survey

(2008) showed that, over 130000 miles of rivers are unsafe for fishing in United.

Because of the serious problem, a river even got fire. In the late 1960s, in United

States, a river called Cuyahoga River which flows through Cleveland, caught fire

because of over pollute. What was worse, Seitz’s survey shows, mothers who eat

fish from polluted water, their children will get lower scores and poorer behave

than the others.

In brief, along with the rapid development of industry, various pollutions also

follow. With the toxic fumes and dirty air, people may get diseases such as

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, asthma, nasopharyngeal and

laryngeal cancers, tuberculosis, and diseases of the eye. Air and water pollution

have become so serious problems that we must take measures to reduce them.

To get to ’sustainable development’, protection of air and water mist be done.

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Words: 1007

References:

1.Changhua Wu, Crescencia Maurer, Yi Wang, Shouzheng Xue, and Devra

Lee Davis Water Pollution and Human Health in China Journal of

Environmental Health Perspectives * Volume 107, Number 4, April 1999

2. Pau-Chung Chen, Yu-Min Lai, Jung-Der Wang, Chun-Yuh Yang, Jing-Shiang

Hwang, Hsien-Wen Kuo, Song-Lih Huang,and Chang-Chuan Chan (1998)
Adverse Effect of Air Pollution on Respiratory Health of Primary School Children
in Taiwan. Journal of Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 106, Number 6,
June 1998

3. Lester B. Lave and Eugene P. Seskin (1970) Air Pollution and Human Health

Journal of Science 21, August, 1970 Volume 169, Number 3947

4. Rita Van Damme-Lombaerts , Majid Ezzati (2005) Indoor air pollution and

health in developing countries Available at

<www.thelancet.com > [Vol 366 July 9, 2005

5.SeitzL.John. (2008). Global Issues. Oxford: Blackwell.

6. Environ Health Perspectives 107:251-256 (1999). [Online 5 March 1999]

Available at:

bthp://lepnet].niehs.nih.gbovdoes/i999/107p251-256w/abstract.hml

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