Air pollution – This book covers the entire syllabus of “Community Health Nursing” prescribed by the Universities of Bangladesh- for Basic and diploma nursing students. We tried to accommodate latest information and topics.
This book is examination friendly setup according to the teachers’ lectures and examination’s questions. At the end of the book previous university questions are given. We hope in touch with the book students’ knowledge will be upgraded and flourished. The unique way of presentation may make your reading of the book a pleasurable experience.
Air pollution
Air pollution is defined as the presence in outdoor atmosphere of one or more air contaminants or combination of them in such quantities which is harmful to man or his environment.
Causes of air pollution:
- Combustion from industry
- Transportation emissions
- Agriculture side-effects
- Home heating
- Home cooking
- Volcano eruptions
- Forest fires
- Tobacco smoke
- Metal smelting
- Aerosols and cfcs
- Exhaust from Combustion Engines
- Use of Coal and Fossil Fuels
- Mining Operations
- Stationary Sources: Plants and Mills
- Fertilizer Dust
- Chemical Pesticides
- Power Lines
- Radioactive Fallout
- Indoor Air Pollution
Sources of air pollution (How air is polluted)
1. Natural phenomenon:
✓Respiration of man and animal contributing increase amount of CO2 and decrease
✓ Increased heat, water vapor, microorganisms in the air.
✓Radioactive substances in the nature.
✓Forest fires
✓ Volcanoes
2. Industrial processes: Chemical industries, metallurgical industries, oil refineries, fertilizer factories, cement factories all pollute air by CO2, heat dust, fume, and other wastes.
3.Combustion: Industrial and domestic combustion of coal, oil, gas, fire wood etc. are
source of CO; CO, soot, dust, and Sulphur dioxide – which contribute to air pollution…
4. Decomposition of organic matter: Decomposition of animal and vegetable matter,… sewage, etc. arc a source of CO2, H2O, NH3 marsh gas. Ammonium hydrogen sulphide, carbon-di-sulphide.
5. Motor vehicles: Major source throughout the urban areas. Motor vehicles, trucks, trains, aircrafts and other forms of transport contribute to air pollution by emitting hydro-,
carbons, carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. In addition, diesel engines, when misused or badly adjusted, are capable of emitting ‘black smoke and malodorous 0fumes’.
6. Miscellaneous: Burning of refuse, insecticides spraying, nuclear energy programme, emitting of radio-active substances – all contribute to air pollution…
Air pollutants:
There are over 100 identified air pollutants. The following are main ones;
a. Gaseous pollutants –
CO2, CO, SO2. H2S, NH3, organic sulphides, fluorine compounds, oxides of nitrogen and ammonia, aldehyde beryllium and carcinogenic agents such as benzpyrenes, radioactive. substances.
b. Particulate matters, e g., dusts, fumes, mists, smokes.
✓ Mineral dusts – Cement, limestone, asbesto.se, coal.
✓ Metal dusts with fumes – Zinc, copper, iron, lead.
✓ Acid mists, e.g., H2SO4
✓ Fluorides.
✓Paint pigments.
✓ Tobacco smoke.
✓ Carbon black.
✓ Pesticides.
Indicators/Tools of monitoring of air pollution
1. Best indicators –
a. Sulphur dioxide: Major pollutant in many urban and industrial areas. It is produced by the burning of coal and fuel oil. Its concentration is estimated in all air pollution surveys.
b. Smoke index or soiling index; A known volume of air is filtered through a filter paper
under specified conditions and the stain is measured by a photoelectric meter. Smoke
concentration is estimated and expressed as micrograms, cubic meter of air as an average
level over a period of time.
c. Suspended particles (dust and grit) measurement:
Deposit gauges collect dust and grit and other solids. These are analyzed monthly
2. Other important indicators (parameters):
a. Coefficient of haze
b. Air pollution index
Effects of air pollution
A. Health effects
i. Immediate effects:
- Increased morbidity and mortality
- Respiratory illness
ii. Delayed effects:
- Chronic bronchitis.
- Bronchogenic carcinoma.ade arun batictiom pol
B. Other effects
1. Effects on plants and animals:
- Plants are very sensitive to CO2, fluorine compounds, smog etc.
- Spotting and burning of leaves
- Destruction of crops
- Retarded growth of plants
- Fluorides are very toxic to animals.
- Cattle suffer by eating foliage contaminated with fluorides.
2. Social and economic effects:
These are due to:
- Impairment of human, plant and animal health
- Corrosion of metals and building materials
- on to ordai
- Cost of cleaning and repairing
- Unpleasant odors.
- Cost of research and expenses due to adoption of technical measures to control pollution and administrative organization.
- Air pollution reduces visibility in towns.
The air borne diseases are grouped as –
i. Air borne infection and
ii. Diseases due to inhalation of air borne harmful agents.
1. Air-borne infections
A.Droplet infections (transmitted by coughing, sneezing or talking loudly through droplets containing large number of organisms):
a. Bacterial Infections –
- Tuberculosis
- Diphtheria
- Whooping cough
- Pneumococcal pneumonia,
- Pulmonary anthrax
- Sore throat
- Pharyngitis
- Common cold
b. Ural infections –
- Chicken pox
- Measles
- Mumps
- Influenza
- Small pox
2. Droplet nuclel: Diseases spread by droplets are spread by droplet nuclei, which are a type of particles (110 p in size) implicated in the spread of airborne infections such as tuberculosis, influenza, chickenpox, measles, 0 fever and many respiratory- infections.
3. Infected dust infections (transmitted through air or dust infected food, milk etc.):
✔ Tuberculosis
✔ Pneumonia
✔Streptococcal infection
✔Staphylococcal infection
✔Psittacosis etc.
Diseases due to inhalation of air-borne harmful agents
1. Inhalation of non-infective dust:
- Irritation causes subsequent lowered resistance to eye and respiratory infections.
2. Toxic and non-toxic industrial particles and air pollutants of cities –
- Pneumoconiosis, such as siderosis, silicosis, byssinosis, anthracosis, lead poisoning etc.
3. Delayed effects of air pollutants:
- Chronic bronchitis
- Bronchogenic carcinoma.
Prevention and control of air pollution
1. General principles
The WHO has listed the following five general principles for control of air pollution
A. Containment; Prevention of escape of toxic substances into the ambient air. This can be
achieved by some engineering methods such as enclosure, ventilation and air cleaning.
B. Replacement: A technological process that causes air pollution is replaced by a new process that does not. For example, use of deluded petrol in place of leaded petrol in order to reduce lead in the air of large cities. Lead is a cumulative poison.
c. Dilution: Diluting the concentration of pollutants in the air to such a level that they can be removed by natural means, such as foliage. The establishment of “green belts” between industrial and residential areas is an attempt at dilution.
d.Legislation: Enacting suitable laws aimed at prevention of pollution. Legislation covers such matters as height of chimneys, powers to local authorities to carry out investigation, research and education concerning air pollution, creation of smokeless zones and enforcement of standard ambient air quality.
E. International action: The WHO has established two international pollution monitoring centers at Washington and London, three regional centers at Tokyo, Moscow and Nagpur and 20 laboratories in different countries.
These centers will issue warnings of air pollution where and when necessary’.
2. Practical measures
The practical steps that can be taken to reduce pollution are listed below:
A. Land use planning location of industries at places distant from residential area.
B. Establishment of “green belts” between industrial and residential areas.
C. Modification of industrial process, whenever possible, to minimize air pollution by
D. Use of electricity and natural gas in place of wood, coal and oil in houses and factories whenever possible.
E. Traffic management and reduction of pollution from vehicles by proper tuning of the engine.
F. Health education of public about harmful effects of smoke and about methods of control (such as by proper burning of fuel, provision of chimneys, proper ventilation etc.).
G. Legal measures to control emission of smoke and other pollutants.
H. Issue of meteorological warning so that temporary steps may be taken during periods of high atmospheric stagnation.
I. Cautious use of insecticides and pesticides.
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