MDIS

Management Development Institute of Singapore

Diploma in Biomedical Sciences

Biology Report, Air Pollution

S9326006F

Tan Wen Juan Karmaine

The world is changing, and fast. In the current global age of rapid growth and

industrial expansion, it is becoming progressively important for humans to measure

the scope of our activities on the planet that we inhabit. Urbanization, consumerism

and an increasing population are all reasons why human disturbance is the main cause

of environmental degradation. This is why it is important for humanity as a whole to

become aware of our impact on the earth, and turn that concern into action.

In this report I will be focusing on a major environmental concern – air pollution. The

report will discuss indoor and outdoor air pollution, its effects on the planet and

health, and preventive measures we can take to reduce risk and developments in

creating more sustainable lifestyles.

Air pollution is one of the world’s biggest growing environmental concerns. In

developing countries - in particular China and India - industrialization and

urbanization is occurring on a mass scale as people move in floods to cities from the

countryside. However, these mass migrations do not come without cost. In developing

countries, infrastructure and technology may not keep up with the demand and

consumption of energy. For example, despite long in-the-making efforts to reduce its

carbon footprint, almost two-thirds of China’s energy continues to come from the

burning of coal, as it is still the cheapest and most readily available source of energy.

In the developing world, environmental health is a far-flung goal, as governments

have to first focus on meeting essential food, energy, housing and transport needs and

to ensure a basic quality of life for their citizens.

Yet, household air pollution causes 4.3 million deaths a year. (WHO) Around the

world, billions of people still rely on solid fuels like wood, coal, dung and crop waste

for cooking and heating. However, such practices come at a huge risk to health. Fine

particles and carbon monoxide pose a serious domestic threat in households like

these. With the addition of poor ventilation, the amount of fine particles in the air can

be up to a hundred times the acceptable level.

Indoor air pollution is not the only existing problem. The burning of fossil fuels like

coal, oil and gas causes pollutants to be released into the atmosphere. When fuels like

methane, gasoline and propane are burned; they react with oxygen to produce carbon

dioxide. This increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a key cause of global

warming. Industrial and waste from vehicular exhaust are large causes of air pollution

in urban areas. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide released into the air irritates air

passages and causes acid rain. Carbon monoxide formed from the incomplete

combustion of fuels is toxic to breathe, as well as mercury emissions from industries

and the burning of coal. Air pollution causes damage to environmental equilibrium in

the form of acid rain, ozone depletion and global warming.

Barbara A. Finamore, senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council’s

China Clean Energy Program, describes sulphur dioxide ‘China’s No. 1 pollution

problem’, calling it the ‘most serious acid rain problem in the world’. A third of China

now faces acid rain.

The consequences of air pollution like smog and acid rain have an adverse effect

not only on the natural environmental balance, but also on the biological

functioning of humans living within the affected areas. Scientists found that

prenatal exposure to air pollution caused a decrease in children’s IQ scores. In

China, the coal that is used as daily fuel poisons people and causes

disease. Potential problems include asthma, respiratory diseases and cancer. The

widespread pollution may be due in part to the population not being fully aware of

the environmental consequences and health issues related to pollution.

In order to minimize environmental degradation, steps must be taken now to create

sustainable processes and urban systems. With developments in architecture and

technology, the concept of an ‘urban eco-system’ has been developed. The design

of a sustainable city derives its roots from the natural ecosystem - in nature, plants

photosynthesize food, and are then consumed by animals whose waste products

again provide nutrients that allow plants to grow and the cycle to begin again.

Following a similar vein, sustainable cities are built with long-term environmental,

economic and social concerns in mind. Utilizing a mix of architecture, green

technology and urban planning, it is possible to make cities more efficient and

ecologically friendly.

Cities all around the world are beginning to use technology take steps to reduce

their impact on the environment. In Lima, Peru, several ‘Super Trees’ have been

fixed around the city. Inspired by the natural respiration process of trees, the

device purifies the air with a water filtration system, removing carbon dioxide and

bacteria. Each Super Tree cleans six times the amount of air of a real tree.

In the architectural sphere, the Bosco Verticale (vertical forest) in Milan offers a

whole new perspective to the term “concrete jungle”. Over 2.5 acres of forest —

730 trees, 11,000 plants, and 5,000 shrubs— will cover the façades of the

buildings. These green residential towers will help to considerably decrease the

city's carbon dioxide emissions and reduce dust particles, particularly in the

surrounding area. In lieu of new eco-buildings, a Berlin-based firm has developed

an architectural tile, Prosolve370e, that reduces air pollution and be easily fixed

onto existing buildings. Covered in an ultrathin layer of titanium dioxide (TiO2), it

is activated by ambient daylight and works by neutralizing air contaminants when

positioned near traffic or polluted environments.

In conclusion, air pollution is a major environmental concern and each individual has

the responsibility to reduce his own carbon footprint. If each individual changes his

habits and adopts an eco-friendly lifestyle, cities on a mass scale will then be able to

reduce their harm to the environment. By making small incremental changes to our

lifestyle, such as carpooling, walking or taking public transport, we can all do our part

to reduce the release of harmful gases into the atmosphere.

References

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/5-future-pollution-ending-

technologies.htm

http://www.enviropedia.org.uk/Air_Quality/Outdoor_Air_Pollution.php

http://www.who.int/indoorair/en/

http://architizer.com/blog/can-architects-solve-our-cities-pollution-problems/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/20/kids-lower-iq-scores-

link_1_n_240541.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101019183539.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/11/business/worldbusiness/11chinacoal.html?

pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/04/29/peru-uses-new-super-tree-technology-to-fight-

air-pollution/