How_Does_Pollution_in_Large_Cities_Affect_Human_Health_

How does pollution in large cities affect human health' It is generally believed that the development of industrialization and urbanization brings about not only the rapid progress of economic growth, but also the widespread of multiple kinds of pollution, especially in large cities where the speed of development is extraordinarily fast, which poses an acute threat to human health. A variety of investigations have explored the effects on human health in a number of urban areas all over the world. As the impacts of pollution on human health are of significance, it is worthwhile to examine them deeply. This essay will introduce three major types of pollution, namely air pollution, land pollution and water pollution, along with their effects on human health. The first kind of pollution is urban air pollution, which is considered to be a central environmental problem. Ever-increasing emissions from factories and automobiles are released into the atmosphere as the society develops, which have direct effects on human health through inhalation in both the short term and the long term. Inhaling polluted air only causes minor health issues in the short run, such as headaches, eye irritation and upper respiratory infections. Long-term effects including lung cancer and heart disease, however, pose a serious risk to urban people (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory n.d.). There are various air pollutants, of which sulfur dioxide and particulate matter are the primary ones in large cities (Enger ＆ Smith, 2004). Enger and Smith (2004) define sulfur dioxide as a chemical substance combining sulfur with oxygen that is produced when fossil fuels are burned. As Middleton (2008) points out, sulfur dioxide in high concentration is closely related to the ascending mortality, morbidity among citizens. For example, during the period of 1990 to 1996, a study was carried out focusing on how sulfur dioxide affected the prevalence rate of cardiovascular diseases in seven European cities including London, Milan and Paris (Sunyer et al., 2003). It found that when the level of sulfur dioxide rose, the number of people who got cardiovascular diseases increased sharply, which indicated that sulfur dioxide could cause cardiovascular events (ibid.). In addition, sulfur dioxide can be transformed into sulfur-containing acid during a chemical reaction with other materials in the air and may cause pulmonary and respiratory diseases. Chongqing, a city of China, has suffered from serious acid rain because the coal burned contained high levels of sulfur, causing citizens to get respiratory diseases since 1970 (Sakamoto et al., 2001). Except for acid rain, smog which contains high levels of sulfur dioxide can also have a negative impact on human health (Enger and Smith 2004). Wichmann et al. (1989) has observed that smog lasted for five days in West Germany (mainly in Dusseldorf) in January 1985, which led to 24,000 citizens dead, 19,900 being sick and 1,250,000 consulting doctors about health problems caused by smog. The dramatic number shows that smog with large quantities of sulfur dioxide could be a health hazard. Particulate matter is another type of air pollution that consists of mixed particles in the form of solid-state, liquid-state or both (WHO Europe, 2005). Concentration of particulate matter can result in health issues including mild symptoms like cough, bronchitis as well as sore throat, and severe symptoms such as lung cancer, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and even death (ibid.). According to Romieu et al. (1996), from April 24 to May 25, 1991, research on 71 children (aged 5 to 13) with mild asthma who lived in Mexico City where particulate matter was in high levels showed that while the coughing prevalence among these children was only 18.3% with the average levels of daily particulate being lower than 108µg/m3, the proportion increase to 28.7% when the levels were equal to or over 196µg/m3. Data from the research illustrate that when particulate matter levels rose, more people incur respiratory symptoms. Apart from air pollution, land pollution is another kind of crises people are facing now, which has a direct effect on human health. As Enger and Smith (2004) pointed out, solid wastes are major land pollution in large cities. Such wastes mainly include industrial wastes, household hazardous wastes and medical wastes. Cimino (1975) had tested that people who lived close to solid wastes might get severe health problems such as coronary heart disease (CHD), respiratory diseases and skin disease. Research undertaken from 1968 to 1969 in New York City among sanitation men frequently exposed to wastes showed that the incidence of them getting CHD is almost a doubling of males of other jobs at the similar age. There is another example mentioned by Elliott et al. (1996) that more than 14 million people who resided next to incinerators in cities in Great Britain got cancer from 1974 to 1987, which suggests the association between cancer incidence and solid wastes. After introducing air pollution and land pollution, the third pollution citizens are facing now is water pollution, whose threats to human health tend to be acute. There are many pollutants such as heavy metals and sediment, making drinking water unsafe (Guide to water pollution n.d.). Firstly, heavy metals in surface water may cause high blood pressure, cancer and nerve injury. For instance, tanneries in the cities in Tamil Nadu, a state in India famous for leather production, used chromium compounds when working (Srinivasa and Govil, 2008). Because the wide use of the compounds was not accompanied with adequate waste-disposal methods, effluent containing chromium would have an adverse impact on human health. It was reported by that tanners had high incidence of getting respiratory diseases because they were frequently exposed to the heavy metals (ibid.). The second water pollutant is sediment. Maurer et al. (1999) points out that the lack of facilities to dispose of sediment may partly be the root of infectious diseases as well as higher incidence of cancer mortality. In the early 1960s, Baoding City in China constructed a project of storing and draining sediment, which disposed of large quantities of sewage to a nearby lake. An investigation conducted between 1973 and 1984 indicated that the Baoding citizens has lower levels of cancer mortality and birth defects than the lake residents (ibid.). The essay has presented three different types of pollution in urban areas, including air pollution, land pollution and water pollution, and their impacts on human health. Considering the issues stated above, it can be concluded that human health is faced with crises resulting from pollution. Researches and investigations in health impacts of urban pollution have been conducted and are ongoing, in case that there may be new health problems in the future. Words count: 1094 References Cimino A, 1975, ‘Health and Safety in the Solid Waste Industry’, AJPH January, vol. 65, no.1, pp.38-43. Elliott P, Shaddick G, Kleinschmidt I, Jolley D, Walls P, Beresford J, Grundy C, 1996, ‘Cancer incidence near municipal solid waste incinerators in Great Britain’, British Journal of Cancer, pp. 702-710. Enger D ＆ Smith. 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Sakamoto K, Gao S, Zhao D, Zhang D, Dong X, Hatakeyama S, 2001, ‘Studies on atmospheric pollution, acid rain and emission control for their precursors in Chongqing, China’, Water, Air, and Solid Pollution, pp. 247-252. Srinivasa S, Govil K, 2008, ‘Distribution of heavy metals in surface water of Ranipet industrial area in Tamil Nadu, India’, Environ Monit Assess, pp. 197-207. Sunyer J, Ballester F, Tertre L, Atkinson R, Ayres G, 2003, ‘The association of daily sulfur dioxide air pollution levels with hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases in Europe’, European Heart Journal, pp. 752-760. WHO Europe, 2005, Particulate matter air pollution: How it harms health. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from http://www.euro.who.int/document/mediacentre/fs0405e.pdf Wichmann E, Mueller W, Allhoff P, Beckmann M, Bocter N, Csicsaky J, Jung M, Molik B, Schoeneberg G, 1989, ‘Health Effects During a Smog Episode in West Germany in 1985’, Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 79, pp. 89-99.