Environmental Pollution And Its Effects on Health and Nature

A recent study in the Ontario environment has raised general health worries about the effect of air pollution and traffic . T he study also found out that individuals who lived within 50 meters of a heavy traffic environment had a 7% higher risk of dementia when co mpared with individuals who lived more than 300 meters far from  such environment .

Fact Sheet: What is the #1 Childhood Environmental Health Threat Globally? - The Pollution BlogThe Pollution Blog : "“ Lead Poisoning from improper automotive battery recycling activities is the number one childhood environmental health threat globally”.—  Dr. Jack Caravanos, CUNY professor and research lead at Blacksmith Institute for a Pure Earth

Mercury is r anked as one of   the most toxic elements or substances   in the world, coming just behind   arsenic and   lead   as third.   This environmental pollutant  continues to be dumped into our waterways   and soil,   is being   spilled into our atmosphere, and co ntinually contaminates   our food and water . Although mercury pollution was initially minimal, h uman activities have nearly tripled the amount of mercury in the   environment   and the atmospheric burden is increasing 1.5 percent per ye a r . Environmental mercury, either through soil or water pollution,   can   enter the food chain through plant and livestock. Once in the food chain mercury can   bioaccumulate causing   harmful   effects to human health .

Neurotoxicity is as a result of the long term exposure to toxic pollutants , called neurotoxins, which badly affects the central nervous system, or sensory organs. Neurotoxins are chemicals with the ability to damage the nervous system. They do this by destroying the cells that transmit and process signals in the brain . As pollutants, neurotoxins are ever-present in the environment; in schools, homes, road an so on. They are the major sources of environmentalpollution in occupational settings. Production processes in factories are a major environmental pollution source of some of the most harmful neurotoxi ns . Clinical manifestations of n eurotoxicity occur in multiple syndromes and effects, in relation to the nature, level and duration of the exposure. Below are some commonly use chemicals present in the environment that cause central nervous disorders. Their clinical manifestations are identified in this article as well as their relation with toxic exposures . Also preci...

It is no longer news that o ne of the leading causes of premature death, to this day, is cancer. And sadly enough, there is still no cure this threat to human health . Furthermore , while there are many environmental factors that are suspected to cause cancer, there are no absolute answer as to what actually causes cancer . How ever, what is certain is how  cancer develops i n the body . The human body is made up of numerous amounts of cells that work every second to ensure optimum efficiency and health . W hen a change (external or internal) in the activities of these cells,  it could damage one of the cell's DNA. This is how cancerous cell s are formed and they begin to spread through the body.

Aluminum has been for quite some time known to be neurotoxic, with mounting proof that its long term environmental exposure is a linked to numerous neurological diseases, including dementia, a mental imbalance, and Parkinson's disease. Nonetheless, research validation is hard to establish due to the absence of longitudinal studies, as well as push back from industries that use aluminum in their products. Regardless of the deficiency of conclusive reviews, mounting scientific proof practically rules out the uncertainty of its toxicity. A valid example is scientific investigation from Keele University in the UK which unequivocally indicates large amounts of aluminum in the brain of an individual exposed to aluminum at work, who later died from Alzheimer's disease. While aluminum exposure has been involved in Alzheimer's and various other neurological diseases, this case happens to be "the main direct connection" between Alzheimer's disease and elevated...

The prostate gland, which develops in human males when they are fetuses, is to a great degree sensitive to estrogen. Thus, scientists have long ago speculated that prostate cancer could increase in men as a result of their interactions with estrogen-like chemicals in the womb. Unlike other cancer-causing chemicals that can bring about significant harm to DNA, Bisphenol-A or BPAappears to exact unobtrusive changes that are passed from one generation ontothe next.

Ovarian cancer is a kind of cancer that can start in either or both of the ovaries. The cancerous cells duplicate rapidly and shape a tumor on the outside of the ovaries, inside the egg-producing cells, or inside hormone-creating cells. This kind of cancer is hard to distinguish until the cancer has begun spreading into the belly region. Despite the fact that medications are accessible, survival rates is genuinely low particularly if the cancer was analyzed late.This unsettling reality does not need to be the standard. Ladies ought to instruct themselves on the dangers, the side effects, and how to avert or analyze the cancer early. Early location is vital for a successful treatment and conceivable cure.

The world will require 50 percent more nourishment by 2050 because of both an expanding populace and a move toward a more Westernized eating routine in creating nations. In any case, as our requirement for nourishment rises, our capacity to deliver that sustenance might be brought down by atmosphere and air quality changes, concurring a to a review simply distributed in Nature Climate Change. Environmental scientists from MIT and Colorado State University found that if everything else remains as it is today, by 2050 global warming may lessen world harvest yields by around 10 percent. Be that as it may, world harvest yields confront a greater number of difficulties than simply rising temperatures. Ozone pollution likewise harms crops , while being harder to evaluate. A few products are harmed most by outrageous temperature swings, others more by ozone. "Ozone pollution can likewise be dubious to recognize since its harm can look like other plant diseases, creating bits on ...

Environmental impact of animal production : "Each one of us has an impact on the environment and the world in which we live. Growing food and raising animals also uses resources from the earth. Humans impact the environment through deforestation, agricultural and livestock activities, urbanization and burning fossil fuels. Each and every living creature produces greenhouse gases (GHG). Greenhouse gases are gases in the earth’s atmosphere and can be produced in nature and through human industry. An increased amount of GHG generates high temperatures on earth. The most abundant GHG are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. The amount of GHG that agriculture and farming produces around the world is different. This is because each livestock production system is different in the way it uses resources. Agricultural systems are often categorized into two types of systems: extensive farming and intensive farming.

Children and Air Pollution | : Children breathe more air per pound of body weight, so their exposure to air pollution is much greater than adults.  Children’s organs, including their lungs, develop until they reach their late teens, usually around the age of 18.  Studies show that developing organs are sensitive to the toxic effects of air pollutants and environmental toxins, and that children absorb pollutants more readily than adults and retain them in the body for longer periods of time.*  According to the World Resources Institute, “Because they breathe at a higher rate than adults, children are exposed to greater levels of pollution relative to their smaller body weight and are generally more sensitive to their effects on a pound-for-pound basis.”

Hormonal Contraception: The Hidden Environmental Pollutant - Symptopro - SymptoPro Blog : "There are many options for oral contraception currently out on the market and most are a combination of synthetic estrogen and progestin, with only a few progestin-only pills available for use. The woman’s body only uses a small portion of the hormone and the majority is excreted, where it goes to a waste treatment facility to undergo an ineffective process that only removes a portion of the hormones from sewage. The rest is left to be released out into the environment. Much research has been done on the effect of estrogen on the environment and the main culprit is ethynyl-estradiol, or EE2. Other hormones may be negatively affecting the environment as well; however, scientific research has focused on EE2. So, where can this be found? Try the patches, birth control pill, rings, and various injectables. In other words, the main culprit for the hormonal changes we’re seeing in the enviro...

What Air Pollution Does to Eyes and Vision : " Air pollution , no doubt, has had numerous health impacts on humans, but when it comes to air pollution in relation to eyes and vision, there seems to be a gap. This phenomenon has not been studied in depth in the way that perhaps pollution in relation to our pulmonary system has, but there is evidence to suggest that pollution is hurting our eyes. Our eyes are incredibly exposed and sensitive. If you’ve ever had the misfortune of getting dust or sand in your eyes (which everyone is likely to have experienced at least once), then you know the irritation and discomfort involved. Though pollution is a little sneakier than dust and sand, it can have an equal or worse effect on our eyes in the long run.

Harmful Effects of Water Pollution and Water-borne Diseases : "Deterioration in the natural form of water is caused by mixing unwanted elements more than the specific limit. Use of such water causes various water-borne diseases. Pollutants deforming water enter from different sources on account of human activities and they cause harmful effects on man. Other creatures on earth and in water are also affected by it. A World Health Organization (WHO) report of 1982 had indicated effect of water pollution on man as under: 1. Every year 2,500 persons die in the world due to use of polluted water. 2. Every year 2,500 persons and one crore children die in the world due to non-availability of             sufficient water. 3. In the world, 200 crore persons do not get pure and perfect drinking water. 4. In developing countries, four out of every five children die because of water-borne diseases. 5. Every year 50 crore persons suffer from water-borne dise...

Plastic Pollution : "The world population is living, working, vacationing, increasingly conglomerating along the coasts, and standing on the front row of the greatest, most unprecedented, plastic waste tide ever faced. Washed out on our coasts in obvious and clearly visible form, the plastic pollution spectacle blatantly unveiling on our beaches is only the prelude of the greater story that unfolded further away in the world’s oceans, yet mostly originating from where we stand: the land. From the whale, sea lions, and birds to the microscopic organisms called zooplankton, plastic has been, and is, greatly affecting marine life on shore and off shore. In a 2006 report, Plastic Debris in the World’s Oceans, Greenpeace stated that at least 267 different animal species are known to have suffered from entanglement and ingestion of plastic debris. According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, plastic debris kills an estimated 100,000 marine mammals annu...

Air pollutants linked to higher risk of birth defects, researchers find | News Center | Stanford Medicine : "Breathing traffic pollution in early pregnancy is linked to a higher risk for certain serious birth defects, according to new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding comes from a study examining air quality and birth-defect data for women living in California’s San Joaquin Valley, one of the smoggiest regions of the country. “We found an association between specific traffic-related air pollutants and neural tube defects, which are malformations of the brain and spine,” said the study’s lead author, Amy Padula, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in pediatrics. The research appears online today in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Absence of environmental ethics in government sector of poor countries : "Environmental ethics mean taking care of environment voluntarily in everyday life. It is introduced by raising public awareness on environment. It is equally established with the strict enforcement of environmental laws. It is mainly the job of government of every country to promote environmental ethics. Unfortunately corruption is rampant in environmental sector of every backward country. Their pollution control officials are inefficient, corrupt and incompetent mostly. So whatever they do for environmental care actually aims to fill their own pockets by taking bribe from polluters and close their cases illegally. This is how they crush environmental ethics instead of introducing it into the masses.

WHO | About second hand smoke : "The original Surgeon General's report, followed by this first "hazard" warning on cigarette packages, the subsequent "danger" warning on cigarette packages, the removal of cigarette advertising from television and the inclusion of the "danger" warning in cigarette advertising, were all "blows" of sorts for the tobacco industry. They were, however, blows that the cigarette industry could successfully weather because they were all directed against the smoker himself. The anti-smoking forces' latest tack, however - on the passive smoking issue - is quite a different matter.... Nearly six out of ten believe that smoking is hazardous to the nonsmokers' health, up sharply over the last four years. More than two-thirds of nonsmokers believe it; nearly half of all smokers believe it.

Indoor Air Pollution - Asbestos : "Asbestos is a mineral rock mined in much the same way as other minerals, such as iron, lead or copper. It exhibits substantial resistance to heat and deterioration and thus has historically been used for a variety of commercial and industrial purposes. Instead of forming dust particles when crushed, asbestos divides into millions of fine fibers in the manufacturing process. Asbestos fibers can have serious effects on your health if inhaled. There is no known safe exposure, so the greater the exposure, the greater the risk of developing an asbestos-related disease. The amount of time between exposure and the first signs of disease can be as much as 30 years. Asbestos can cause asbestosis, a scarring of the lungs that leads to breathing problems and heart failure. Workers who manufacture or use asbestos products and have high exposures to asbestos are often affected with asbestosis. Inhalation of asbestos can also cause lung cancer and mesotheli...

Environmental Pollution Also To Blame For Antibiotic Resistance: Other Factors That Make Bacteria Drug Resistant : Healthy Living/Wellness : Tech Times : "Bacteria can mutate and become resistant to medications over time. This resistance causes existing treatments to lose their efficacy, and in some cases, it consequently results in death that could have been prevented. Previous research has shown that the misuse of drugs leads to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It mostly affects treatments for common infectious diseases such as colds, flu and sore throat. It has prompted experts to educate the public about not using antibiotics when treating such illnesses. Antibiotic resistance may also turn into large-scale antimicrobial resistance, spoiling treatments for diseases such as HIV or malaria, as the World Health Organization explains.

Air pollution impairs function of blood vessels in lungs: Authors recommend limiting physical activity in heavily polluted areas -- ScienceDaily : ""This is the first human study to report an influence of air pollution on pulmonary vascular function," said lead author Dr Jean-Francois Argacha, a cardiologist at the University Hospital (UZ) Brussels, Belgium. "This is a major public health issue for people living in polluted urban areas where exercise could damage the lungs and potentially lead to decompensated heart failure." Promoting a safer environment appears to be as important as controlling conventional risk factors, like high cholesterol, in reducing cardiovascular disease.2 Air pollution consists of particles (particulate matter [PM] of different sizes) and gases (nitrogen dioxide, ozone, etc). The first vascular bed in contact with air pollutants is the pulmonary circulation yet few studies have investigated the impact.