The consequences of air pollution

Air  pollution is induced by the presence in the atmosphere of toxic substances, mainly produced by human activity in recent years. These gases and chemicals generate a number of phenomena and consequences for the ecosystems and the living beings that populate our planet.

Air pollution affects everyone and all sectors : animals, cultures, cities, forests, aquatic ecosystems… In recent years, we nevertheless interested in two areas in particular, who suffer many adverse consequences of air pollution : the environment and human health.

The consequences of air pollution on the environment

The polluted air, floating on the surface of the earth, is carried away by wind and rain. Clouds and high temperatures also help to disperse pollution to reach very great distances from its point of origin.

• Air pollution has a major impact on theprocess of plant evolution by preventing photosynthesis in many cases, with serious consequences on the purification of the air we breathe.
• The accumulationof gases in the atmosphere also generates environmental problems with sadly known consequences : acid rain, depletion of the ozone layer, global warming, the greenhouse effect, etc. The concentration of these gases in the atmosphere, mainly dioxide Of carbon, increases on average by 1% per year. This phenomenon is due to the properties of certain gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and chlorofluorocarbons) to trap heat from the sun in the atmosphere, preventing it from returning to space after being reflected by Earth.
• Air pollution contributes to the formation of acid rain, atmospheric precipitation in the form of rain, frost, snow or fog, which are released during combustion of fossil fuels and transformed by contact with water vapor in the atmosphere. Acid rain affects the amount of chemicals in soils and freshwater, affecting food chains.

The consequences of air pollution on human health

Our continued exposure to these air pollutants is responsible for the deterioration of human health.

In particular, air pollution can cause cardiovascular problems, allergies, asthma attacks, conjunctivitis, bronchial diseases, lung or skin cancers, vision problems, blood Problems in the mental development of the child, among others. The most vulnerable are children, the elderly, pregnant women and the sick.

Thus, some scientists have been able to establish a direct relationship between the increase of polluting particles in cities and the thickening of the internal wall of the arteries or atherosclerosis. Numerous studies have also shown that groups of people living in urban areas with high traffic volumes have more respiratory problems than the average and are more likely to develop disease. Cases of children with bronchitis and slow pulmonary development are much more common in large cities.

One of the solutions supported and advocated by the OMPE is to put in place CO2 absorbers on the planet. The latter, by acting as  filters, would reduce the excess of toxic and polluting gases in the air (CO, CO2, methane in particular) and microparticles.

To read more, we invite you to read the article dedicated to our invention.