We continually hear news about how environmental pollution affects our environment, causing the decrease in the ozone layer, the loss of biodiversity and the alteration or modification of ecosystems, among other effects, forgetting that we ourselves can also be harmed. In other words, environmental pollution not only affects the environment around us but also affects our body, affecting our well-being and health. You want to know how environmental pollution affects humans? In Green Ecologist we give you the answer.
What is environmental pollution
Environmental pollution consists of emission of physical, chemical or biological agents, or a combination of all of them, to the natural environment, which are toxic or harmful to the environment.
Its origin it is mainly due to the action of man for reasons such as:
- The exploitation of natural resources.
- Indiscriminate logging.
- The emission into the atmosphere of greenhouse gases.
Although many believe that it began with the Industrial Revolution, the truth is that environmental pollution predates this period. In fact, the first record of environmental contamination due to human action dates from the year 1540 and it is found in the Peruvian Andes of South America. It is a glacier known as Quelccaya that shows traces of metallic elements, such as bismuth, due to mining activity and the production of silver in the Inca empire after the Spanish conquest. The investigations explain how the wind could drag the contamination to the northwest of Peru, reaching the Quelccaya Glacier.
Causes of environmental pollution
The environmental pollution It is due to a multitude of factors, among which we will highlight:
- The use of fossil fuels: the exploitation of coal, oil and natural gas is a source of pollution, not only at the atmospheric level but also affects the environment in which the activity takes place.
- The use of pesticides and chemicals: Some products used in the field of agriculture such as fertilizers, pesticides and pesticides release greenhouse gases and in turn, pollute the soil and can even contaminate some water sources and remain in nature for years.
- Industrial and domestic waste and discharges: The incorrect management of waste and waste, cause the accumulation of garbage remains in landfills or on beaches, rivers and other natural places. In addition, the massive consumption that exists in our society promotes the generation of waste and the creation of industrial factories that are born with the objective of producing without worrying about the protection of the environment.
Effects of environmental pollution on humans
Environmental pollution has harmful effects on our health, depending on the type of pollution to which we are exposed, we can suffer from allergies or practically insignificant irritations to diseases that, in the worst case can be fatal. To contamination we explain the effects of environmental pollution on humans:
- In the case of air pollution, people are exposed to the inhalation of gases and other particles, many of which are carcinogenic, so that these pass into their respiratory system and, due to their size or characteristics, many of them cannot be expelled so they accumulate in our body giving rise to respiratory problems, fatigue, irritations in the eyes or mucous membranes, cough or the development of chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
- On the other hand, the water contamination causes the entry of chemical or microbial pollutants into our body, since all human beings need this valuable resource to survive and hydrate, causing short or long-term health problems such as liver damage or infections in the digestive system.
- The effects caused by soil contamination they are similar. Pollutants are absorbed by plants through their roots and can reach humans due to the ingestion of these plants, affecting their health. There are studies in which it has been detected that people exposed for example to dioxin in the soil have suffered from diabetes, endocrine and even cardiovascular problems.
It is necessary to highlight that the urban population is more prone to suffer these effects due to its greater exposure to environmental pollution.
If you want to read more articles similar to How environmental pollution affects humans, we recommend that you enter our Pollution category.
