출처: http://metro.co.uk/2017/01/24/what-are-the-main-causes-of-air-pollution-6403379/
밝은 하늘: 건강문제에 있어 나도 한국사람이지만 적지 않은 우리나라 사람들은 흡연문제가 대기오염문제보다 더 우리의 건강에 큰 해를 끼친다고 생각하는 거 같다. 내 개인적 생각에 불과하면 참 다행이겠다. 내가 문제를 삼고 싶은 것은 대기오염은 흡연보다 덜 가시적이다. 그래서 우리 눈에 잘 띄는 흡연은 우리의 건강에 엄청난 적인양 혐오하면서 대기오몀에 대해선 그와 유사한 감정을 갖지 않는다는 점이다. 하긴 <어쩌다어른>이란 프로그램에서 허태균 교수가, 우리나라사람들은 눈에 보이는 거에 크게 신경을 쓰지만 눈에 안 보이는 것에는 크게 신경을 안쓰는 경향이 있다고 했던 게 떠오른다.
What are the main causes of air pollution?
Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2017/01/24/what-are-the-main-causes-of-air-pollution-6403379/#ixzz4cemP4zlx
Air gets polluted when gases, fumes, dust particles, smoke or odour are introduced into the Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in diseases, allergies and death in humans, as well as causing harm to animals and food crops.
Pollution causes nearly 9500 deaths in London every year, and according to a 2014 WHO report, air pollution in 2012 resulted in the death of around 7 million people around the world.
What are the main causes of air pollution, and how long has it been a problem?
What’s in polluted air?
There are many harmful substances that can pollute the Earth’s atmosphere, but some of the main ones are carbon dioxide, sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and particulates.
Carbon dioxide – this is the highest form of human-caused air pollution. (이산화탄소 carbon dioxide)
The burning of fossil fuels is causing a steady increase in the levels of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Sulfur oxide – volcanoes and various industrial processes cause higher levels of SOx in the air. (산화유황 sulfur oxide)
Petroleum and coal often contain sulfur compounds, and burning them produces sulfur oxide.
Nitrogen oxides – these are forced out during high temperature burning, and electric discharge during thunderstorms also creates them. (산화질소, 질소산화물 nitrogen oxides)
It’s one of the most prominent air pollutants and is a reddish-brown colour, with a strong smell.
Carbon monoxide – Vehicle exhaust is the main source of carbon monoxide, with fuels such as natural gas, coal and wood not being completely burned as another cause. (일산화탄소 carbon monoxide)
Particulates – also known as particulate matter (PM), atmospheric particulate matter or fine particles. (미세먼지, 미립자 particulates)
They are tiny liquid or solid particles suspended in a gas and can either come from natural sources, such as volcanoes and forest fires, or from human activity, such as power plants and burning fossil fuels in vehicles.
When did problems with polluted air begin?
Major problems with polluted air began in early December 1952, when a cold fog descended on London – now referred to as the Great Smog of London.
People began burning more coal than usual in response, with the air pollution that then formed becoming trapped by an inversion layer – a layer of the Earth’s atmosphere where the temperature increases with height.
This had been caused by the thick mass of cold air in the fog, which brought about a virtual shut-down of the capital.
During the four days of fog, at least 4,000 people died due to the weather itself, which was made worse by low-quality, high-sulphur coal being burned. Higher quality coal was being exported, due to the country’s unstable economy after the war.
Parliament passed the Clean Air Act in 1956 in response to the fog, which was in effect until 1964.
This act implemented many measures to reduce air pollution, such as ‘smoke control areas’ in some parts of the country, where only smokeless fuels were allowed to be burned.
Power stations were moved away from cities, and the height of chimneys was increased.
It was an important landmark as far as developing a legal framework to protect the environment was concerned.
In April 2014, there were also high levels of air pollution in London and parts of south east England, where experts warned those with asthma and heart conditions to stay inside.
On 29 April 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that the government needed to take immediate action to decrease levels of air pollution.
Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2017/01/24/what-are-the-main-causes-of-air-pollution-6403379/#ixzz4celnVKY9
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