A hot, American topic these days is the steady rise of pollution in the world and the negative effects it is having on everything. Air pollution is the consistency of particle in the air that are harmful to humans, animals, and plants, and often times buildings (Rutledge, et al., 2011). With these pollutants in the air, they act as the beginning of a chain of effects that occur in our cycle of life. Air pollution in the 21st century is becoming greater each day as man-made technology distributes harmful gasses and chemicals that are circulated through our ecosystem.
While our technology increases and the methods of burning chemicals to produce energy continues, our air pollution suffers the consequences. Our ways of speedy travel, such as …show more content…
This is what people refer to when they talk about smog. According to the Webster dictionary, smog is “a photochemical haze caused by the action of solar ultraviolet radiation on atmosphere polluted with hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen especially from automobile exhaust” (Dictionary, 2016). Because of our atmospheric pollution, when smog is present and it begins to rain, the rain traps the chemicals and brings them down to the earth’s water …show more content…
Often times, when the soil is poisoned by the chemicals through the water, either the plants have a very hard time growing, or they do not grow at all. “In forests, air pollution acidifies soils, depleting important nutrients and reducing the productivity of some forest trees. It adds excess nitrogen, altering nutrient levels and decreasing disease resistance” (Lovett & Tear, 2008). In result to these now less immune plants, we spray them with pesticides in an attempts to protect them from the diseases they can now obtain.
With poisonous chemicals in the soil, the produce grown and the environment can be harmful to animal’s bodies. A common thing that occurs is how fish in ponds are exposed to mercury from polluted water and molecules from the air, thus making them extremely unhealthy to eat. Birds, such as Loons, eat these fish and the mercury and harmful chemicals are now inside the bird (Lovett & Tear, 2008).
When these chemicals are inside the animals, given to them from their prey, like the Loon, and then consumed by humans, the meat we consume is still manifesting these harmful chemicals and molecules. Also, because these animals were eating plants and other animals with low levels of protein and nutrients, the animals we eat often lack those proteins and nutrients as
While our technology increases and the methods of burning chemicals to produce energy continues, our air pollution suffers the consequences. Our ways of speedy travel, such as …show more content…
This is what people refer to when they talk about smog. According to the Webster dictionary, smog is “a photochemical haze caused by the action of solar ultraviolet radiation on atmosphere polluted with hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen especially from automobile exhaust” (Dictionary, 2016). Because of our atmospheric pollution, when smog is present and it begins to rain, the rain traps the chemicals and brings them down to the earth’s water …show more content…
Often times, when the soil is poisoned by the chemicals through the water, either the plants have a very hard time growing, or they do not grow at all. “In forests, air pollution acidifies soils, depleting important nutrients and reducing the productivity of some forest trees. It adds excess nitrogen, altering nutrient levels and decreasing disease resistance” (Lovett & Tear, 2008). In result to these now less immune plants, we spray them with pesticides in an attempts to protect them from the diseases they can now obtain.
With poisonous chemicals in the soil, the produce grown and the environment can be harmful to animal’s bodies. A common thing that occurs is how fish in ponds are exposed to mercury from polluted water and molecules from the air, thus making them extremely unhealthy to eat. Birds, such as Loons, eat these fish and the mercury and harmful chemicals are now inside the bird (Lovett & Tear, 2008).
When these chemicals are inside the animals, given to them from their prey, like the Loon, and then consumed by humans, the meat we consume is still manifesting these harmful chemicals and molecules. Also, because these animals were eating plants and other animals with low levels of protein and nutrients, the animals we eat often lack those proteins and nutrients as