Health Matters: Air Pollution

Greetings fellow Steemians! How are you today? I hope you all are fine as I am. I want to thank @sahmie for organising this special contest titled: Air pollution. This topic is timely because of the high level of industrialization, usage of fuel and deforestation. I believe this article will address the problem of air pollution. Thank you.

Edited Using GridArt

Pollution in the first place is the release of contaminated or harmful substances into the environment. We have four major types of pollution which are:

• Air pollution.
• Water pollution
• Land or Solid waste pollution
• Noise pollution

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What are the main sources of air pollution in our environment?
Let us first look at the meaning of air pollution. Air pollution is the release of contaminated substances into the air which in turn negatively affects the air, contaminates the air or makes the air unhealthy for breathing.
The main causes of air pollution include:
Transportation system
Transportation: This is one major cause of air pollution. Today, the use of cars and motorcycles has increased greatly and their usage emits carbon monoxide, Nitrogen oxide etc which is harmful to our health. It also affects the ozone layer to some extent.

Burning of Garbage
We carelessly burn garbage openly. Sometimes we burn tires, rubbers etc which tends to cause serious health challenges to humans.

Availability of industries
The activities of industries like refineries produce pollutants which can be harmful to man.

Household Air Pollution
This is a type of air pollution that is caused as a result of cooking and heating methods at home. In Africa, most houses use charcoal, firewood, and dung in cooking as such, it contaminates the air which causes health challenges.

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How does air pollution affect human health, especially vulnerable groups like children and the elderly?

• When we breathe carbon monoxide or contaminated air for some time, it affects our health. It places us at risk of contracting asthma because it affects our respiratory tract. It can also cause heart-related issues. This is very common in children and the elderly because their Immune systems at this stage are not strong.
• Air pollution can trigger diseases like acne and eczema

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What are some common symptoms or health issues caused by exposure to polluted air?
Some common symptoms or health issues caused by air pollution are:

• Coughing
• Sneezing
• Eye irritation: Eyes becoming red or eching.
• Leukaemia: This is a disease related to the blood which can be caused by exposure to contaminated air.

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How can individuals contribute to reducing air pollution in their daily lives

• planting of trees: The planting of trees can help in reducing air pollution since trees absorb carbon monoxide and release carbon dioxide. Therefore, individuals are encouraged to plant trees.
• The use of bicycles, and electronic and solar vehicles will go a long way since they are not powered by fossil fuel.
• Individuals should provide proper waste disposal services

Edited Using GridArt
How does air pollution vary between urban and rural areas?
There is a variation in pollution between urban and rural areas:

• Causes: In urban areas, the air is polluted mostly through the use of vehicles, industrial activities and so on which makes it very high while in rural areas, it is mostly caused by the open burning of garbage waste, firewood and charcoal.
• Settlement: The type of settlement and their shapes affect the dispersion of pollutants which vary from place to place.

Conclusion
Air is as important as man because we need air to survive but if this air is contaminated, we become vulnerable to different forms of disease. Air pollution can be addressed through planting and caring of trees, and substitution of vehicles powered by fossil fuel with electronic or solar.
Thank you friends for visiting my blog and for your support..

Invitation
I invite my steemians friends to also participate in the contest: @zisha-hafiz, @emishael60, @aviral123

10% support to @hive-168205

Cc
@sahmie

Thank You All