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Many natural and man-made impurities, called aerosols, are adrift. Suspended particles of a natural origin are sea salt, sand, organic dust, pollen and smoke.
Millions of years ago, the natural pollutants of volcanoes and the dust from meteor strikes were enough to poison the air and change the earth’s climate, altering much of life on earth. Many species perished, while others evolved.
Today, however, it is the man-made pollution that is of great concern.
For years, scientists believed that pollution would dilute into the atmosphere to negligible levels.
Recent studies, however, showed otherwise. Certain wind patterns can carry the pollutants as a ‘parcel’ and deliver it many hundreds of kilometres away. At its destination, it may arrive as acid rain or snow over a limited area. Even the Arctic isn’t spared. Mercury concentrations in Arctic spring rain or snow have more than tripled over the last two centuries.
Pollution
Pollution spreads to every corner of the world
What is in the book?
Chapter: Air
The atmosphere
Pollution
Dry air
Odour
Weather and pollution
Air and health
Respiratory disorders
Heart disorders
Bronchitis
Hayfever
Asthma
Infectious diseases
Global air circulation ensures that long-life pollutants spread to all parts of the world.
They pose a threat to us when their numbers overwhelm the self-cleaning ability of our respiratory system, or our immune system can’t defend against the intruders.
There is no doubt that airborne impurities bring illness and death.
