Air Pollution

WHAT IS AIR POLLUTION?

  

Air pollution is the introduction of particulates, biological molecules, or other harmful materials into the Earth's atmosphere, possibly causing disease, death to humans, damage to other living organisms such as food crops, or the natural or built environment.

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION?
   

Acid Rain

   

-A form of precipitation that contains high levels of sulfuric or nitric acids, can contaminate drinking water and vegetation, damage aquatic life, and erode buildings. 

Holes In The Ozone Layer

  

-This can increase the amount of ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth, where it damages crops and plants and can lead to skin cancer and cataracts. This depletion has been caused largely by the emission of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from refrigerators, air conditioners, and aerosols. The Montreal Protocol of 1987 required that developed nations signing the accord not exceed 1986 CFC levels. Several more meetings were held from 1990 to 1997 to adopt agreements to accelerate the phasing out of ozone-depleting substances.

Health Effects Caused By Air Pollution

    

•        Loss of lung capacity.
•        Decreased lung function.
•        Development of diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and possibly        cancer.
•        Shortened life span.
•        Accelerated aging of the lungs.

Source: Infoplease.com

CAUSE OF AIR POLLUTION
  

Air pollution is caused mainly by Transportation, fuel combustion in stationary sources, burning of fossil fuels like coal, wood, dry grass, and construction activity. Motor vehicles produce high levels of Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Hydrocarbons (HC) and Nitrogen Oxides (NO).

HOW TO PREVENT AIR POLLUTION?

  

• Conserve energy – remember to turn off lights, computers, and electric appliances when not in use.

• Use energy efficient light bulbs and appliances.

• Participate in your local utility’s energy conservation programs.

• Limit driving by carpooling, using public transportation, biking and walking.

• Combine errands for fewer trips.

• Keep your automobile well tuned and maintained. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on routine maintenance, such as changing the oil and filters, and checking tire pressure and wheel alignment.

• Avoid excessive idling of your automobile.

 What I think…

  

We should all do our part in taking care of mother earth. We should be thankful for the world we live in and we must take care of it. We must find ways on how to prevent pollution which is damaging our planet. One of the worst pollution is the air pollution. We can all prevent it in our own little ways like limiting the use of our cars and use bicycles instead. Let us all help save mother earth.  
     

AIR POLLUTION FROM FIREWORKS

   

In the combustion of fireworks, the main component gunpowder gives rise to the solid reaction products such as potassium carbonate, potassium sulphate and potassium sulphide, together with unreacted sulphur. The reaction products from effects mixtures are generally solids and consist of metal oxides and, less often, chlorides. The air pollution caused by firework reaction products is well documented by measurements in Switzerland and abroad. Fine particulates are notable in reaching record short-term pollution levels. Evaluation of data from Swiss gauging stations shows that over a short period, such high levels of respirable fine particulates (PM10) may be reached that the 24h average values may exceed the 50 µg/m 3 threshold stipulated in the Ordinance on Air Pollution Control (OAPC). This value is laid down for health reasons and may be exceeded only once a year. International surveys - in more polluted areas - show that susceptible people may be measurably affected.

   

Dioxins can be released during the combustion of copper containing fireworks. Laboratory experiments, which investigated the extent of dioxin formation caused by setting off various pyrotechnic devices, and measurements taken during Bonfire Night in Great Britain where both bonfires and fireworks are burned as in Switzerland, indicate that bonfires are a far more significant source of dioxin than pyrotechnic devices, especially when waste wood and other wastes are burned.

Pollution of other environmental compartiments and indirect effects: The firework reaction products that are emitted are deposited and thus enter the soil, crops and, in the case of fireworks over water, standing waters. This pollution has not been measured yet. Therefore, the deposition of firework-related elements must be estimated from model calculations.

Ecotoxicological and toxicological benchmarks for all firework-related elements were taken from the literature. The present assessment shows that firework-related depositions do not cause problematic soil and water contents, and the evaluations suggest that indirect effects (uptake through the food chain, soil ingestion by children) are also not critical.

Waste: Some 1000 t additional waste are annually generated by fireworks.

Source: angelfire.comhttp://www.angelfire.com/co3/NCFS/science/environmentalimpact.html

Firecrackers pose more health issues than just injuries to limbs exposed to exploding firecrackers. Firecrackers, even those regulated by law, can cause serious medical issues such as bronchial asthma, allergic or chronic bronchitis, laryngitis, pneumonia, rhinitis and sinusitis.

   
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) recorded the level of particulate matter on January 1, 2014 at almost 10 times above the acceptable 24-hour national air quality guideline value. The report said that the usual weather condition during the 2014 New Year’s celebration, particularly the low ambient temperature, low wind velocity and low laying clouds, triggered the air pollution incident and even contributed to low visibility.

   

“Widespread pollution during those times not only contravenes ongoing local and global efforts to control climate pollution, but also violates our basic right to clean air as safeguarded under the Clean Air Act,” Aileen Lucero of EcoWaste Coalition said.

    

She added that exposure to air pollution marked by an increase in suspended particulate matter including minute particles, heavy metal oxides, greenhouse gases and other contaminants, may initiate or exacerbate a host of cardiovascular diseases. An increased number of minute particles and suffocating gases in the air can also trigger eye, chest, nose and throat problems and aggravate the conditions of people suffering from allergies, cough and colds.
   

Source: Manila Bulletin issue dated December 31, 2014http://www.mb.com.ph/firecrackers-can-cause-serious-health-problems/

  

(Before)

Magnificence for a moment

(After)

Effects that last a lifetime.

WHAT I THINK…

New year celebration has just ended. When I saw the fireworks display, it was colorful and entertaining. But afterwards, the air  became suffocating. The air was filled with smoke that I could hardly breathe. Why do we keep on using fireworks when we know that this is unhealthy to the environment and to ourselves? We can use some other forms to welcome the new year. Like this for example:

 (The use of horns)

Land Pollution in the Philippines

What Is Land Pollution?                                             

Land pollution is the contamination of the land through the dumping of waste and garbage and the introduction of toxins into the environment. Acid rain, the spreading of water pollution to surrounding beaches and river banks, litter and even new construction sites can all be sources of land pollution.

What Effects Does Land Pollution Have?                  

Some of the effects that land pollution leaves behind are obvious ones, such as unsightly piles of garbage, landfills and loss of environments surrounding new construction. Many of the worst effects are actually less obvious to the eye.

Chemical Effects on Life
One of the biggest threats to the eco-system caused by land pollution is chemical contamination. Plastics, toxins in wastes like anti-freeze and other chemicals seep into the ground where they remain. Many modern day chemicals and materials either do not biodegrade or break down, or if they do, then break down into smaller chemical particles. These particles poison the ground itself. Plants growing in the ground, animals that eat the plants and even humans are all affected by these chemicals. This can lead to the loss of some types of plant and animal life as well as create long-term health problems such as cancer in humans.

Damaging Effects to the Land
When land pollution is bad enough, it damages the soil. This means that plants may fail to grow there, robbing the eco-system of a food source for animals. Eco-systems may also be upset by pollution when the soil fails to sustain native plants, but can still support other vegetation. Invasive weeds that choke off the remaining sources of native vegetation can spring up in areas that have been weakened by pollution.

Erosion
In some cases, pollution can damage the soil to the point that vegetation no longer grows. This may lead to erosion of the soil. Erosion leads to the loss of top soil in the earth. This loss can spread, meaning that nearby areas that may not be contaminated with pollutants begin to erode, spreading the loss of vegetation and life.

Spreading Pollution

Land pollution can be caused by contact with contaminated areas, like polluted water ways or acid rain created from air pollution. This pollution can spread in the other direction so that polluted land has a negative impact on surrounding environments. Land pollution that contaminates soil can also contaminate waterways. Contaminated water that evaporates into the atmosphere can fall back to the earth as acid rain, causing the cycle of contamination and pollution to continue.

Dealing With Land Pollution                                       

Many of the long-lasting effects of land pollution, such as the leaching of chemicals into the soil cannot be easily reversed. The best way to deal with land pollution is to keep it from happening in the first place.

As little as two percent of waste is recycled. If recycling efforts are stepped-up, then the amount of waste being added to landfills can be decreased. Preventing the overuse of soil that makes it acidic and contaminates nearby areas, will keep the problem from spreading. Wherever possible, contribute to cleanup efforts in your area to help prevent land pollution from becoming worse.

Source: http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/effects-land-pollution

What I Think...

Nowadays, people throw their garbage anywhere without any care. They don't think about the possible effects of their actions. We need to be more aware of what's happening in the world around us and do our best to preserve Mother Earth. Throwing our trashes in the right place would be a good start. We could also think about segregating our trashes and recycling whatever can still be used (like plastic bags or bottles). Little by little, we can fix what we have done. A small change can make a huge difference.

(Plants are being placed on recycled plastic bottles)

Philippine Tarsiers in Captivity

According to: Endangered Species International, Inc. (Copyright 2011) 

The Philippine Tarsier

This species (Carlito Syrichta) is endemic to the Southern Philippine islands of Bohol, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao. It occupies mainly forests and bush thickets. It has also been observed in mangrove forests. Each subspecies has a very precise and limited distribution: C.S. Syrichta can be found on the islands of Leyte and Samar while C.S. Carbonariusis Und is only found in the island of Mindanao and C.S. Fraterculus only lives in Bohol.

 What's Happening To Them Now?

The majority of Tarsier species are now endangered or threatened, and some are designated critically endangered. Threats include habitat destruction and fragmentation, hunting, agricultural pollutants and human disturbance. Tarsiers are very shy animals that prefer to stay away from human contact. Tarsiers do not live well in captivity – they have specific feeding requirements which are difficult to meet and rarely successfully breed. Wild Tarsiers which are caught and kept in captivity only show around a 50% rate of survival and in many cases they die quickly of overstress by committing “suicide”.
                               

The Tarsius Project

Lead by a Czech zoologist, Dr. Milada Řeháková-Petrů from Decin Zoo(November 25, 2011) 

"I conducted a survey of all captive tarsier facilities on the main tourist route on Bohol Island and evaluated the condition in that the animals are kept and also behavior of the visitors and guides. The results were shocking. The tarsiers were kept in a very limited area, some animals were apparently sick or dying. The nocturnal tarsier were permanently stressed,” says Dr. Řeháková.

If the displayed tarsiers die, their numbers are replenished by tarsiers captured from the wild. Growing demand on numbers of tarsier kept in captivity increases the numbers of illegally caught tarsiers from the wild. The tarsiers are thus slowly disappearing from neighbouring forests. This is the reality. Or it was, until the Czech team started to focus on this issue.

The Czech zoologist presented the results of her survey to the Minister of the Environment Ramon Paje and also the Undersecretary for policy and planning Demetrio Ignacio, DENR officials, Bohol governor Edgar Chatto and other authorities and a meeting was held in December 2010 especially because of this issue. This all wouldn’t be possible without help and support of the Ambassador of the Czech Republic Dr. Josef Rychtar.

During this year, it became apparent that these efforts bear the first fruits. The authorities recognized the seriousness of the whole situation, thanks to the efforts of Czech colleagues. It was decided that all the tarsiers from the facilities along the main tourist road will be transferred to more suitable conditions. Recently, a new enclosure naturally planted was opened in Loboc. Tarsiers find more space and also less stress here. The most importantly, this step will hopefully also cause a decrease of newly poached tarsiers.

What I Think...

These articles are shockingly true. A few years ago, my family and I visited Bohol. Part of our tour was to visit tarsiers held in captivity. What we saw were tarsiers placed on a tree which was surrounded by a cage. These tarsiers were not in their natural habitat. What was worse, tourists were allowed to hold and interact with them. At that time, I was not aware that this was illegal and was harmful to them. If you ever plan to visit Bohol, please be aware of this. Do not patronize tarsier tours that you think are illegal. Let us do our share to help conserve our tarsier population.