SCHADSTOFFE, die gesundheits- und umweltschädlich sind
POLUENTES prejudiciais à saúde e ao meio ambiente
INQUINANTI dannosi per la salute e l'ambiente
對健康和環境有害的污染物
健康と環境に有害な汚染物質
स्वास्थ्य और पर्यावरण के लिए हानिकारक
الملوثات الضارة بالصحة والبيئة
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(PULSAR AQUI PARA VER LA VERSIÓN ESPAÑOLA DE ESTE ARTÍCULO)
(CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SPANISH VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE)
The increasing planetary environmental pollution causes serious health effects and destroys numerous animal and plant species.
Forest fires, logging and other human activities cause the progressive disappearance of thousands of hectares of rainforests and forests, which no longer assume the purification (photosynthesis) of CO2 and other toxic gases in the atmosphere, leading to a change in balance. natural with increase in global temperature (greenhouse effect).
This can produce, within a few years, irreparable consequences and disasters (melting of the polar areas, desertification, floods due to the rise in the level of the seas, famines, spread of diseases, etc.)
Many tons of toxic fumes and gases produced by the emissions of the more than 1 billion combustion engines installed in vehicles, airplanes, ships, machines, tools and the like, as well as industrial processes, coal or oil thermal plants, garbage dumps, heating, fires, etc.
According to the WHO, poor air quality affects the health of more than half of the world population; in certain places the concentrations of particles can be up to 50 times above the recommended values.
In the last 20 years, planetary environmental pollution has increased by 40/50%.
It is proven that in episodes of severe contamination there are increases in mortality figures.
In large cities, pollution reaches highly dangerous levels and densities (moreover, the cities themselves generate 80-90% of the toxic gases)
These include Mexico, Bangkok, Beijing, Bombay, Buenos Aires, Calcutta, Delhi, Karachi, London, Manila, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo.
In Spain, about 12 million people live in areas with polluted air; the atmosphere of almost all major cities - Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Malaga, Bilbao, Tenerife or Gijón - exceeds the legal limits. This produces asthma, allergies, cancer, etc., with 16,000 premature deaths per year.
THE MAIN SOURCES OF ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION AND ITS APPROXIMATE PROPORTION ARE:
- Land transport and automobiles 60-80%
- Air and sea transport 15-25%
- Industries 20-30%
- 10-15% coal or oil power plants
- Heating 8-10%
- Garbage and waste burners 4-7%
- Other sources (volcanoes, fires, etc.) 2-7%
MAIN POLLUTANTS AND GREENHOUSE EFFECTS: Origin, effects and diseases they produce
Carbon monoxide (CO)
It originates from the combustion of hydrocarbons, coal and oil, especially from motor vehicles, incineration, smelters, gas leaks and fires.
It is a colorless and odorless gas whose presence is not perceived until its dangerous suffocating effects are noticed since, when inhaled, it combines with hemoglobin in the blood and reduces its ability to transport oxygen to the tissues.
In the first phases of exposure, headache appears, the level of alertness decreases, psychic agility and motor and visual coordination.
If the concentration increases, these effects intensify; vomiting and collapse, arteriosclerosis and ischemic heart disease can occur, leading to coma and death.
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
It is not toxic and even in some aspects it is beneficial since it favors the chlorophyll function and photosynthesis of plants.
But given its large increase, due to the combustion of hydrocarbons, fires and deforestation, it is the main factor of the greenhouse effect, with a contribution of 50-60%.
In Spain from 1990 to 2005 CO2 emissions have increased by 30-50%
Global CO2 emissions are progressively increasing. Every minute humanity emits 50,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Ozone (O3)
It originates from photochemical reactions between oxygen and nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons.
From the upper part of the atmosphere, where it concentrates forming the so-called ozone layer, it protects life against the dangerous ultraviolet rays of the sun that would damage the immune system, and could affect vision and cause skin cancer.
But it is also one of the components of smog and produces difficulty in breathing and asthma, weakening resistance to infections; can destroy biological cells and tissues.
One of the main causes of thinning of the ozone layer is the use of CFCs and the combustion of motor vehicles.
As for the greenhouse effect, it contributes to global warming by 9-10%
Sulfur oxides (SO)
Sulfur is found in nature in the free state or associated with coal and oil. Other sources are chemical plants and burning of garbage.
Sulfur in fuels reacts with oxygen in the air and forms sulfur dioxide (SO2) and sulfur trioxide (SO3)
Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
It is a colorless gas with an acrid and irritating odor.
It originates from thermal power plants, refineries, paper mills, smelters, chemical plants, steel mills and power generators, combustion engines and volcanoes.
In the air, SO2 forms aqueous aerosols or mists, converting to sulfur trioxide (SO3) which, in turn, is transformed into sulfuric acid, making it considered one of the most dangerous pollutants.
High levels of these gases produce sensory disturbances, increasing respiratory diseases: rhinitis, chronic bronchitis, exacerbation of asthma with broncho constriction, edema, irritation, resistance to air conduction and deterioration of respiratory function.
Nitrogen oxide or Nitric oxide (NO)
It is a colorless and odorless gas. It arises as a result of biological activity, volcanoes and also from the use of fossil fuels, especially from motor vehicles, and as a consequence of deforestation.
In polluted air and by changing the temperatures of the sun it is transformed into other oxidants such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide or nitric oxide.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
It is a reddish gas with an irritating pungent odor, color and odor that transfers to the typical fog or smog of contamination.
There are natural sources as a consequence of biological processes. But it also comes from fertilizer and explosives industries.
Contributes to the greenhouse effect with 6%
Absorbs energy from the sun to form nitric oxide. It also reacts with drops or steam, causing nitric acid.
Its inhalation affects the respiratory tract; it is irritating to the pulmonary alveoli; it causes brinquiolitis obliterans, emphysema, and lung infection and, if exposure is very intense, can cause death.
Sulfuric acid (SO4H2) and nitric acid (HNO3) derived from sulfur and nitrogen compounds, when mixed in the atmosphere with water vapor, give rise to acid rain, causing acidification of soils, destruction of areas of cultivation, forests, etc.
Methane (CH4)
Greenhouse gas to which it contributes 15-20%.
It originates in swamps, mines (firedamp), in the defecation and emission of animal and human farts, in rice plantations or is extracted from gasoline or hydrocarbons (natural gas)
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halogen compounds
Halogenated compounds of fluorine (F2), chlorine (Cl2), bromine (Br2) or iodine (I) (hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, organochlorine pesticides, chloroform, carbon or silicon tetrachloride, chlorofluorocarbons), etc. they originate in steel, aluminum, glass factories, chemical industries, waste incinerators and others.
They impede the metabolism of calcium in humans and animals and harm vegetables.
Among them, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), gases widely used in cold industries, plastics, aerosols, electronics, etc., have a strong impact on global warming since when they reach the stratosphere they consume the ozone layer, increasing the greenhouse effect, with a potential 15-20% heating.
Hydrocarbons (Benzene, Toluene, Formaldehyde, etc)
Hydrocarbons (HC) come from very diverse sources such as combustion of gasoline or diesel engines of vehicles, airplanes, ships, natural gas, coal, fuel oil, as well as processing or evaporation of gasoline or oil losses in refineries or oil tankers; thermal power plants, industrial processes, tire manufacturing and combustion, chemical, plastic, paint and glue industries, tar handling, incineration, garbage burning, heating, fireplaces and wood or coal stoves, combustion of organic compounds, agricultural burning, forest fires, rice paddies, cattle, etc.
Vapors from aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene, naphatalene and their compounds) are irritants and can cause mucosal lesions when inhaled.
Benzene (C6H6) is a carcinogen; intense exposure can develop leukemia; It also causes hematological, immunological and central nervous system damage.
The main source of benzene is vehicle emissions (82%). Another important source, indoors, is tobacco smoke (39%).
Toluene can affect the brain and nervous system, liver, lung, and kidneys.
Some of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HPAs) (fluororanthene, pyrene, benzoanthracene, benzofluororanthene, and benzopyrene are carcinogens and mutagens.
Among the oxygenated hydrocarbons (alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, ethers, esters and organic acids), formaldehyde causes irritation to the eyes, nose and mucosa, cough, nausea, respiratory problems, tissue damage and nasal or pharyngeal cancer.
Lead (Pb)
Lead (Pb) is a dangerous element that can accumulate in the human body through food (65%), water (20%) or air (15%)
It is found in cables, pigments, solder, ammunition, construction, accumulators, lead tetraethyl, and forms alloys with many metals.
It expands in the atmosphere by emissions of exhaust gases from gasoline vehicles, foundries, coal combustion, industrial processes, waste combustion, paint corrosion, etc.
Airborne particles fall on land or water, passing to terrestrial or aquatic organisms on the ground. Farmland and buildings near busy highways, roads, and streets often harbor significant concentrations of lead.
Lead compounds can produce toxic effects especially in workers who handle them improperly or excessively. The greatest risk is inhalation of steam or dust. They are also absorbed through the skin.
Acute lead poisoning gives symptoms like headache, dizziness, and insomnia, and in more severe cases, stupor, leading to coma and death.
Chronic intoxications (lead poisoning) cause disturbance of hemoglobin biosynthesis, anemia, increased blood pressure, kidney damage, alterations of the nervous system, brain damage, male infertility, disturbance in learning and behavior in children, abortions and neurocerebral damage. in the fetus.
In western countries, these risks are lower due to the controls that are applied, but they exist in imported products (remember the recent return of toys to China due to excess lead in their paint)
Asbestos (Asbestos)
Asbestos (Asbestos) is found in more than 3,500 products (construction, industry, cements, insulators, tiles, tiles, vinyl sheets, adhesives, vehicle brakes, etc.) that when handled, destroyed or worn (works, demolition, construction, cement, etc.) expands easily in the form of dust in the air.
The small fibers of asbestos dust, which can be deeply inhaled, affect the functioning of breathing and settle in the lungs causing obstructions and serious damage to them.
Chronic aggravation (asbestosis) and also lung cancer (with a higher incidence in those who smoke) can occur in workers and people exposed for long periods.
Therefore, asbestos materials should not be handled or inhaled from the dust.
Mercury (Hg)
It can be in the form of metal, mercury salts or organic mercury.
Both the metal itself and its compounds are very toxic.
Some of its salts are soluble in water.
Most commonly, it is found as mercury sulfide (SHg)
The most common organic mercury compound is methylmercury; It is neurotoxic and can accumulate in the body.
It is frequently used in industry: electricity, vacuum techniques, thermometers, barometers, tachometers, vapor and fluorescent lamps, electrodes, silver amalgams for tooth fillings, etc.
Its presence in the atmosphere is due to the combustion of fossil products and waste, foundries and mining.
Once released and emitted into the biosphere, Hg vapor can circulate worldwide and affect countries and areas far from the emitting focus.
But it also spreads and deposits in the soil or in the bottom sediments of the waters, due to the rain that drags the environmental Hg, or due to agricultural fertilizers and waste water discharges from industries.
Although mercury does not usually contaminate the products we eat, it can sometimes appear in the food chain through the consumption of fish (which absorb a large amount of methyl mercury), meat from livestock or vegetables, which have captured it when it is diluted in the water or products from the environment where they live (contaminated water, sprays applied to crops, etc.)
It causes more or less serious health effects, depending on the degree of exposure; from eye and respiratory irritation, skin reactions, vomiting and diarrhea, in the event of temporary gas inhalation (rupture of a thermometer or container), to produce, in case of increased exposure, tiredness, headache, deafness, digestive disorders and kidney, damage to the nervous system and brain (personality, memory, learning, vision, muscle mismatch, tremors, etc.), cancer, damage to DNA and chromosomes, sperm, etc.
A brief increase in methylmercury exposure can affect the cardiovascular system and lead to increased mortality. It can also harm the fetus in pregnancy (abortions, Mongolism, etc.)
Gas-fume-soot-coal-dust particles
They originate from the combustion of diesel engines, steel factories, thermal power plants, cement plants, foundries, cotton factories, works, demolitions, fires, furnaces, chimneys, ect
These are different types of particles of microscopic size, solid, liquid or in the form of dust, smoke or aerosols of certain gases that condense or undergo chemical transformations, and can be transported by air currents or remain in suspension in the atmosphere ( 60-80% are diesel gases - cars with diesel engines emit six times more particles than gasoline - but many other toxic substances also accumulate (such as PCBs, nitrogen and sulfur compounds, pesticides, cement, etc.)
Its small size facilitates deep inhalation causing coughing, itching or burning of the eyes (conjunctivitis), tightness in the chest, respiratory difficulties, exacerbation of bronchitis and heart disease, asthma attacks, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, broncho constriction, deterioration of the pulmonary functions and increased bronchogenic carcinoma and mortality rates.
Traffic accidents increase due to lack of visibility.
They can also harm vegetation and even buildings.
According to the WHO, poor air quality affects the health of more than half of the world population; in certain places the concentrations of particles can be up to 50 times above the recommended values.
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THERE ARE OTHER MANY HAZARDOUS POLLUTANTS mainly related to more limited accidents (leaks or spills), produced in the industrial, agricultural, traffic, transport, fire, etc.
Among them the following can be mentioned:
Match
Hydrogen sulfide
Organophosphates used as insecticides
Organochlorines
Herbicides
Hydrochloric acid
Fluorhydric acid
Pesticides
Ammonia
Arsenic compounds
Cyanide compounds
Methanol
Isopropanol
Glycols
Methyl bromide
Thallium
Barium
Fluorine
Liquid nitrogen
Arsenic
Cadmium
Bleach,
Detergents
Popylene glycol
Aniline
Acetone etc
Persistent Organic Pollutants (COPS) are also very dangerous to health and the environment; they degrade and expand through the atmosphere and water, spreading throughout the planet and can accumulate in animals and plants:
Dioxins
Furans
PCB
Hexachlorobenzene
Pesticides / DDT
Aldrina
Chlordane
Dieldrin
Sloe
Heptachlor
Mirex
Toxaphene
Pentabromdiphenyl ether,
Hexabromobiphenyl
Chlordecone
Lindane
Perfluorooctosulfonates, etc.
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Countries must take measures to eliminate or restrict the use and emissions of these substances.
All the aforementioned pollutants can produce numerous toxic effects, depending on the dose and degree of exposure, mainly poisonings, burns, cardiac and respiratory conditions, hemodynamic, sensory, digestive disorders, cancers of the lung, bladder, pharynx, larynx, leukemias, etc. , with a specific risk for people who, for professional or residential reasons, are subjected to nearby sources or endure them for a long time.
There are more vulnerable groups such as newborns, children, the elderly, and those with lung and heart problems.
On the other hand, atmospheric pollutant gases, through rains and impregnation of mists, end up falling on fields, rivers and seas, where, mixed with other solid or liquid toxics from spills, leaks, mines, industries, garbage and droppings produced by the planet's 7 billion people, spoil or poison crops, land and marine animals, and / or are inhaled / ingested by humans directly or through the food chain.
In addition to these pollutants, there are others not mentioned in this article that we deal with on other pages, such as radioactive, radio-electric, acoustic, light pollution, etc.
Will nature - forests and jungles and oceans - be able to maintain and restore balance despite the increasing environmental ages that increase deforestation day by day and deteriorate the quality of water and air?
Will we humans be able to react in time to the problems posed by pollution, replacing current systems with cleaner and healthier renewable energy?
The solution is to gradually abandon current polluting fuels - and even risky nuclear power plants - and increase procedures and natural sources without toxic effects: solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, tidal energy, use of hydrogen, biofuels, electric vehicles, etc.
Something is being done but very slowly (In Spain, renewable energies represent more than 20% of electricity production; Sweden will abandon the use of oil within 15 years; 50% of Denmark's family electricity consumption is of wind origin; Toyota achieves develop a hydrogen fuel cell car that has traveled 560 km without refueling or polluting, NASA broke a record height (29.5 km) with the "Helios" solar plane)
On last minute electric cars that reach 200 km / h and 400 km of autonomy and recharge in 10 minutes by plugging it into the electrical network.
World crude oil production amounts to more than 80 million barrels per day, but the fields are beginning to run out and the shortage will cause them to become more expensive in 10-15 years, with dire social consequences if alternative sources are not available.
As the oil "business" declines, states are likely to further intensify the search for and use of new green fuels.
Until then, there is no choice but to avoid tobacco smoke, consume less energy, use the car less and use the bicycle less ... Walk and plant trees! Healthy exercise and reforestation!
And, also, let the politicians know, by our votes, that we take very much into account the anti-pollution projects and measures that they carry out!
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