When noxious gases and suspended particulate matter appear in the air in concentrations beyond the accepted standard limits, then the problem of air pollution arises. Sulphur and nitrogen based compounds; dust, smoke and ash are the main components responsible for air pollution. Environmental tobacco smoke is considered as the major pollutant responsible for indoor air pollution. Globally the casualties of air pollution are many in number cutting across continents. Combustion of fuel is one of the primary sources of health-damaging air pollutants. Due to the incomplete and complete combustion of fuels, various air pollutants are emitted in either the solid or gaseous forms. Sources of air pollution include dry cleaners, auto body paint shops, gas stations, boats, vehicles, ships, airplanes, industrial plans, oil refineries etc.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 2.4 million people die every year due to air pollution and the maximum percentage of these mortalities are due to the indoor air pollution. It is seen that throughout the world, the percentage of deaths by air pollution is higher than the percentage of deaths by the automobile accidents. Asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, lung and heart diseases, and respiratory allergies are main diseases caused by air pollution. According to the study of National Resources Defense Council, nearly 64,000 people die every year in USA due to cardiopulmonary disease which is linked with air pollution. Nearly 30,000 people die premature deaths every year in USA, due to coal-fired power plants. Research reports show that toxic chemicals found in the air of almost every American home are three times more likely to cause lung cancer than outdoor air pollutants.

Health effects of air pollution vary according to the nature of the pollutant and the category of the locality in which the pollutant is emitted. For instance, indoor air pollution is one of the prime causes responsible for some 1.6 million premature deaths that occur annually. In fact, indoor air pollution is the fourth key pollutant which accounts for the disease burden in the developing countries.

Though the impact of air pollution on health is of serious concern, governments have not yet taken any effective pollution control management strategy. The environmentalists are trying to implement technology to reduce pollution and reach the acceptable level of sustainable development, but no appropriate measures have been adopted to control the consumption level.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 6:16 am and is filed under Pollution. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.