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Environmental Health
By peace | April 19, 2007
Pollution is a global problem. If water is polluted in one place, it will flow on to affect other areas. Similarly, if air is polluted over a country, the air will drift on to affect other areas. If forests are overcut in one country, neighbours may suffer drought. If a river is dammed in one area, people suffer in another. Throughout the world, there is now realization that we live on one planet, sharing one environment and that we must work together to save planet earth from the ravages of pollution and degradation.
Technological advances such as the internal combustion engine, however, have created new threats to the environment and health. The gases that make up exhaust fumes cause many health problems. Smog, produced by the action of sunlight on these fumes, can cause breathing difficulties for people with bronchitis, asthma, or heart disease; carbon dioxide adds to global warming; and lead is thought to interfere with children’s intelligence and behaviour. Switching to lead-free petrol and fitting catalytic converters to cars will cut down on the emission of these gases and reduce environmental pollution.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are another new and potentially lethal threat to human health. Used in spray cans, air conditioning units, refrigerators, and in the manufacture of insulation materials, they damge the ozone layer that surrounds the Earth and blocks out most of the sun’s harmful ultra-violet radiation. The depletion of the ozone layer is likely to increase the incidence of skin cancer.
Only a strong public commitment to achieving a healthier way of life will bring about the necessary changes in industry, farming and transport that will remove all these environmental and health hazards.
Our Problems At A Glance
1. Chemicals in food
There is growing concern that the fertilizers and pesticides used in modern, intensive farming techniques may harm the environment.
2. Electric Fields
A few scientists claim that long-exposure to electromagnetic radiation from the cables between pylons can cause health problems.
3. Air pollution
Exhaust fumes and smoke from power stations are the major sources of air pollution. They add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.
4. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
CFCs are thought to be responsible for damaging the ozone layer that protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays.
5. Radiation
The only people at high risk of cancer from exposure to radiation are those who have been within the vicinity of a nuclear accident or explosion.
6. Water pollution
Lakes, rivers and oceans are often polluted by man’s destructive lifestyle.
Some Ways To improve Our Environment
Everybody can make a contribution towards a safer and healthier environment by reducing pollution and conserving resources.
1. Transport/ Vehicles
- For short journeys, leave your car at home and walk or cycle instead. This will cut down on air pollution.
- Make sure your vehicle is well maintained and running at top efficiency.
2. Waste disposal
- Recycle bottles, newspapers, and cans from your weekly refuse and dispose of articles like refrigerators carefully. These steps will help to save the Earth’s precious resources.
- Recycle domestic and industrial waste. Eg. When shopping, bring your own bag or ask for a paper bag. Avoid plastic bags.
3. Factories
- Factory and vehicle emissions must be halted or cleaned up to stop the gases they spew out trapping heat in the earth’s atmosphere and warming up the planet in the ‘greenhouse effect’.
- Factory emissions of sulphur, nitrogen and other chemicals create smog and when mixed with water return to earth as plant killing acid rain.
- Do not waste energy. If possible, use alternatives to energy created by burning dangerous fossil fuels.
- Make sure your factory uses only state-of-art technology which minimizes pollution.
- Avoiding waste saves money as well as resources.
- Recycling is a new business opportunity.
In this money-conscious world, many business owners are concerned with making money that they ignored whatever consequences they would contribute to the planet earth. Consider a business owner operating a resource company. To earn more bucks, he went out everyday and grab as much timber as possible, fish or minerals etc and sell them for the highest price. They never consider what damage they are causing to the environment and about what will happen once supplies are exhausted.
Factories generate many kinds of pollution from fuels they burn, processes they undertake and products they make. The most harmful form of pollution is allowing emissions of smoke from chimneys to pour into the air unchecked and untreated. Factories also produce waste which is sometimes allowed to drain untreated into sewers, rivers, lakes and into the seas and oceans. Many modern processes involve chemicals in the process of manufacture or in making the end product and the disposal of toxic waste is often undertaken carelessly or in ignorance of the harmful effects upon the environment.
Industrial waste including chemicals is sometimes buried and unless this is done properly, overtime, problems will almost certainly occur as the objects or substances decay and interact with other chemicals. Some chemicals, such as petroleum, are stored in the ground and it is just as important to check the storage of chemicals in use as it is to ensure that waste is properly contained and sealed before disposal by burial.
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Are you one of those people who see destruction and pollution around you and tell yourself,”Everyone else is doing it so why shouldn’t I” Or do you think: This is wrong and I am not going to do it just because everyone else is doing it. If you belong to the second group of people, then Click here for EHS Software implementation and read testimonials of satisfied customers at EDSG, find out how you can help save the environment.
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