Environmental pollution
Environmental pollution has been a global challenge for a long time. Different types of
environmental pollution exists that include; air, soil and water pollution. Both have tremendous
effects on human health. This paper will discuss a brief history on the causes of air pollution and
its impact on the community. Thereafter, there will be a discussion on the strategies in place to
curb air pollution and discuss their effectiveness in mitigating air pollution.
A Brief History on the Causes of Air Pollution
For residents of towns like Athens (population c.200, 000 in 430BCE) and Rome
(population c.1 million in 150CE), emissions from homes, smelting furnaces, potteries, and other
preindustrial businesses clouded the skies; air pollution was an everyday part of life. Domestic
smoke resulting from wood and charcoal burning mainly were confined to a small area in and
around cities. The poisonous emissions from smelting and mining metals, on the other hand, had
far-reaching and dangerous consequences. Lead and copper manufacturing were the primary
producers of metallic contaminants, which had environmental implications before the industrial
revolution (Zhao et al., 2017).
Serious air pollutants such as lead was first smelted circa 5000 BCE in Anatolia and
Mesopotamia, and production increased dramatically during the Greco-Roman period (peaking
at around 80,000 tons per annum). It was an essential part of the Romans' daily existence. They
used it for everything from home water pipes and roofing to culinary utensils and coins. The
empire's fall has been connected to the negative health effects of long-term lead poisoning
(impaired fertility and neurological impairment), which disproportionately afflicted the Roman
nobility and upper classes (Mosley, 2010).
In Roman mining operations in the Iberian Peninsula, England, Gaul, Greece, and
elsewhere, lead extraction and smelting posed a severe health concern for workers (sometimes-
forced labor). They left behind hill-sized heaps of black slag that changed the landscape. Strabo
(c.64BCE – c.23CE), a Greek geographer and historian, reported how toxic metallic emissions
from smelter furnaces were thrown into the air by 'high chimneys,' and minute particles were
carried by the prevailing winds to damage broad areas of the northern hemisphere (Jacobson,
2012).=
Since medieval times, coal had been imported to London, where mostly artisans in tiny
workshops burned it during fuelwood shortages. The thick smoke billowing from smiths' forges,
breweries, and limekilns quickly drew complaints from the city's residents, who were concerned
about the city's deteriorating air quality. Two royal commissioners were created in the late
thirteenth century to investigate concerns about air pollution generated by coal-fired limekilns
operating in London (Susanto, 2020).
Impact of Air Pollution on Community Health (Ohio, Columbus).
Columbus received an "F" rating from the 2019 "State of the Air" report. This is as a
result of high ozone depletion rates. The ozone pollution season runs from March to October,
coinciding with summer. Two pollutants, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone are mostly
attributed for Columbus' poor air quality. Between 2016 and 2018, Franklin County, whose
county seat is Columbus, had a weighted average of 4.3 dangerous ozone days per year, above
the statutory limit of 3.2 harmful days per year. The air quality in Columbus has never met this
ozone objective. Ozone is a gas found both on the ground and in the stratosphere, the Earth's
upper atmosphere. Ozone is a contaminant that can impair human health at ground level.
However, ozone produces a layer in the stratosphere that protects life from the sun's deadly
ultraviolet (UV) radiation. However, manufactured chemicals known as ozone-depleting
substances, such as chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and halons, are gradually
destroying this "good" ozone. These chemicals were once employed as coolants, foaming agents,
fire extinguishers, solvents, insecticides, and aerosol propellants, and they are still used in some
cases. Increased amounts of UV radiation reaching the Earth as the protective ozone layer thins
can lead to higher skin cancer, cataracts, and immune system impairment. UV can also harm
delicate crops like soybeans, resulting in lower yields (Zhao et al., 2017).
Hospitals and health facilities in Columbus have reported many cases of patients with
cardiac and respiratory disorders associated with air pollution. Because of high levels of air
pollution, over 2300 cases of respiratory disorders in older persons have been documented in
2020 in Columbus. Particulate pollution is linked to health fatalities and even deaths in infants’
aged 28 days and older and increased NICU hospitalizations due to developing lungs, high
activity levels, and high rates of asthma in children.
Solutions to Abate Air Pollution
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are currently working to improve air
quality in the region. EPA is the regulatory air quality authority for Central Ohio. Its mission is
to ensure that air quality in the region meets federal regulatory standards. This necessitates
meticulous air quality monitoring.
EPA provides air quality forecasts, issues health alerts when pollution levels are unsafe
for vulnerable groups, and offers educational air quality programming for the region. On the
other hand, the United States' Clean Air Act requires that each state's implementation plan
contain methods to prevent emissions from facilities or sources inside its borders from causing
major air quality concerns.
Home usage of solid fuels from cooking activities and space heating systems is now
being blamed for household air pollution, providing a severe health risk to individuals who are
exposed. As a result, attempts to reduce household energy use are vital because they contribute
significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. One of the appropriate ways used today is improved
the combustion efficiency of solid household fuels and utilizing green energy such as solar (Zhao
et al., 2017).
The gas emitted by fireplaces in homes and businesses pollutes the air and substantially
impacts air quality. Filters are used to assist limit the impact of hazardous gases absorbed in the
air. The methods mentioned have been in force for a long time. However, air pollution has
constantly been a major challenge that has resulted to climate change. Effective methods such as
complete transition from traditional modes of energy such coal, lead and petroleum to green
energy such as solar and hydroelectricity (Jacobson, 2012).=
Conclusions
Air pollution has no national boundaries. Some pollutants can travel long distances,
causing corrosion and damaging public health on a global scale. As a result, improving air
quality in local areas must include state, regional, and national control measures that are
necessary and implemented. Federal government rules, in general, have the broadest application,
which may help alleviate air pollution.
References
Jacobson, M. Z. (2012).=Air pollution and global warming: history, science, and solutions.
Cambridge University Press.
Mosley, S. (2010), The Environment in World History, Routledge, London. [Chapter 5 charts the
rise of urban pollution problems from ancient times to the present day.]
Susanto, A. D. (2020). Air pollution and human health.=Medical Journal of Indonesia,=29(1), 8
10.
Werner, M., Kryza, M., & Dore, A. J. (2015). Mean annual population exposure to atmospheric
particulate matter in Poland.=International Journal of Environment and
Pollution,=58(1-2), 89-99.
Yang, C., Zhao, W., Deng, K., Zhou, V., Zhou, X., & Hou, Y. (2017). The association between
air pollutants and autism spectrum disorders.=Environmental Science and Pollution
Research,=24(19), 15949-15958.
Zhao, Z. Q., Bai, Z. H., Winiwarter, W., Kiesewetter, G., Heyes, C., & Ma, L. (2017). Mitigating
ammonia emission from agriculture reduces PM2. 5 pollution in the Hai River Basin
in China.=Science of the total environment,=609, 1152-1160.
