The Effects of Environmental Pollution on Human Health

Environmental pollution has a cumulative effect on human health.

Air pollution can cause respiratory problems such as allergies, asthma, eye and nose irritation and bronchial infections.

Water pollution can cause gastrointestinal diseases, nausea, diarrhea, etc.

Noise pollution has physical and psychological health consequences and can impair hearing ability.

Polluted lands may contain hazardous chemicals, metals and pesticides that adversely affect human health. Some of the possible consequences of land pollution include birth defects, skin diseases, breathing disorders, and cancer.

How pollution affects humans and the environment

The Effects of Environmental Pollution on Human Health

Environmental Pollution

Every day, most societies in the world are exposed to an increasing health risk as a result of the growing sources of pollution in the world, which are causing great damage to the human body, animals, agricultural wealth and all areas of life.

This is a clear disruption of the global ecosystem, which is caused by synthetic substances introduced into the environment or the use of natural materials, but at very high levels.

Pollution did not exist in ancient times, but it began to manifest itself in the modern era; as a result of the great development in the use of chemical industries, in addition to the use of radioactive and nuclear materials in wars between countries, all of which have had significant effects on the environment and all living things.

Types of Environmental Pollution

Environmental pollution is no longer confined to one category, but to many forms and varieties, each of which has different effects on humans, animals, agriculture.

The following are the most important types of contemporary pollution:

Chemical Pollution: Chemical contamination is the most influential type of pollution on humans.

Chemical pollution results from the use of industrial materials in our life, such as cleaning materials, cosmetics, car oils, preservatives, industrial colors, food flavorings, chemical and insecticidal fertilizers, and other manufactured materials that are frequently used by humans.

Noise pollution: Noise contamination is often related to the sound and high noise that exhausts the body, especially in high-population countries, including traffic crisis, aircraft noise, factory noise, and others that have significant health effects.

Radioactive Pollution: Radioactive pollution is one of the most serious forms of contamination on human health.

 Although radioactive pollution does not appear to the naked eye, so that the radiation seeps into humans, animals, and food, without leaving a clear impact.

But it causes a lot of diseases in the long run, including rays coming from factories, nuclear power plants, and radioactive isotopes used by researchers in the fields of agriculture or industry.

Effects of Environmental Pollution

Prolonged exposure to pollutants can have harmful effects on all living and non-living things.

Effects of Pollution on Humans

The effects of environmental pollution on human beings are often mainly negative, including respiratory problems such as allergies, asthma, eye and nose irritation, acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis. 

The effects of environmental pollution may develop and cause long-term problems and diseases such as cancers, which have been shown to be a key factor in their development and spread. 

There are some other symptoms that can be caused by exposure to some contaminated processed foods and agricultural crops also contaminated with pesticides such as liver infections, diarrhea, and some hormonal disorders.

Effects of Pollution on animals

The exposure of animals to the effects of environmental pollution causes them to become toxic and non-viable.

For example, pollution of seawater and oceans by acid rain leads to a significant change in the composition of the water to become toxic to fish and marine animals and lead to their death. 

Ozone pollution in the lower parts of the atmosphere causes respiratory problems for many animals.

Water pollution with nitrogen and phosphate causes the growth of various types of toxic algae that poison other animals that feed on them.

Soil pollution also destroys certain microorganisms that will affect different layers of the food chain.

Effects of Pollution on Plants and Soil

Contamination of agricultural land and soil with chemicals that may leak out as a result of oil spills, insecticides, etc., strip the land of any food content in it and make it unsuitable for cultivation and plants are unable to obtain the necessary materials for their growth.

Effects of Pollution on Buildings

The exposure of old and archaeological buildings with stone structures to some acid leaks and acid rain resulting from contamination leads to their erosion gradually or change their original color. 

Some buildings have suffered some corrosion and discoloration due to pollution such as the Taj Mahal located in India.

How Does Environmental Pollution Affect Human Health?

Environmental pollutants have adverse health effects on humans.

Some of the most important harmful effects are respiratory diseases, cardiovascular damage, perinatal disorders, irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, infant mortality, damage to reproductive organs, allergy, malignancies, harm to the liver, spleen, and blood, increase in stress oxidative, nervous system damage, endothelial dysfunction, fatigue, headaches and anxiety and other mental disorders. 

The Effects of Air Pollution on Human Health

Smoke from factory wastes and other visible and invisible substances produced by humans and incorporated into the atmosphere system causes air pollution, leading to global warming. 

Carbon dioxide is one of the most harmful environmental pollutants in the air. In addition to methane from swamps and livestock, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) previously used in refrigeration and propellant fuels, their use has been banned due to their destructive impact on the ozone layer.

These gases and compounds can cause significant changes in the climate, increase the rate of smog and acid rain, and contribute to human diseases such as infections of the upper respiratory tract, allergies, and nausea.

Studies show that 9 out of 10 people breathe air that contains high levels of pollutants permanently.

Air pollution leads to the deaths of about 7 million people worldwide every year.  It contributes to stroke and causes 1.4 million deaths each year from strokes. 

Air pollution also contributes to heart disease; 25% of heart disease cases are related to it, resulting in 2.4 million deaths annually, in addition to the role of air pollution in cancers and lung problems, which cause death. 1.8 million People a year.

The Effects of Water Pollution on Human Health

Water accounts for more than two-thirds of the Earth's surface, but human activities put pressure on all water bodies of all kinds, this leads to poor quality. 

The spread of industrialization in the world is the first cause of pollution in the world. The emergence of the pollution problem means that man has exceeded his limits.

The definition of water pollution may include: the accumulation of one or more substances in the water until spoiled and become harmful to humans and animals.

Dealing with contaminated water or drinking it poses real health risks.

Water pollution causes human diseases such as typhoid, cholera, and giardiasis.

Water contamination with minerals also causes a number of other disorders and problems, such as hormonal disorder, cancer, and brain dysfunction.

The Effects of Radioactive Pollution on Human Health

Radiation negatively affects the cells of the human body and causes damage to its genes or their death.

The human body may be exposed to different levels of radiation; Exposure to low levels increases the risk of cancer and high levels of radiation cause severe disorders in the body and can lead to death.

The Effects of Soil Pollution on Human Health

Soil pollution leads to the contamination of food, which poses a danger to human life and health. Humans may be directly or indirectly affected by land pollution. This contamination has significant risks to human health.

Humans are exposed to soil contamination by consuming plants or animals that feed on contaminated plants, or by inhaling evaporated soil contaminants.

Studies have confirmed that more than 200 diseases are associated with eating contaminated food.

People close to contaminated land are also exposed to many negative effects that may be short-term, such as migraines, nausea, skin disorders, or long-term disorders such as cancers, liver damage, reproductive disorders, etc. 

For example, high concentrations of certain elements, such as mercury, in the soil can cause brain and nervous problems in children and may cause kidney or liver damage in adults. 

Other contaminants, such as benzene, also contribute to cancers, such as leukemia.