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Global Pollution Impact on Health

Pollution from contaminated water, air, and soil causes up to 40% of premature deaths worldwide, especially in developing countries. Over 1 billion people lack access to clean water, which is often mixed with sewage and hazardous waste in developing areas. Indoor and outdoor air pollution from coal use and lack of emissions controls causes widespread respiratory illness. Soil pollution from industrial and agricultural waste threatens global food security by contaminating farmland. Wealthier nations must help address pollution for the health of all people and the planet.

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Lucas Subitoni
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86 views2 pages

Global Pollution Impact on Health

Pollution from contaminated water, air, and soil causes up to 40% of premature deaths worldwide, especially in developing countries. Over 1 billion people lack access to clean water, which is often mixed with sewage and hazardous waste in developing areas. Indoor and outdoor air pollution from coal use and lack of emissions controls causes widespread respiratory illness. Soil pollution from industrial and agricultural waste threatens global food security by contaminating farmland. Wealthier nations must help address pollution for the health of all people and the planet.

Uploaded by

Lucas Subitoni
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Water, Air and Soil Contamination

Pollution is an environmental concern for people throughout the world. One university
study suggests that pollutants in the water, air, and soil cause up to 40% of the
premature deaths in the world's population. The majority of these deaths occur in
developing countries.

Water in many developing countries is contaminated with toxic chemicals, also known
as toxins. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1.1 billion people have
little or no access to clean water. In many of these regions the water that is used for
drinking, cooking, and washing is the same water that is used for dumping sewage and
hazardous waste. Most developing countries can’t afford water treatment facilities.
Approximately 80% of infectious diseases in the world are caused by contaminated
water.

Air pollution is a growing problem throughout the world. Indoor air pollution is one of
the leading causes of lung cancer. Families in developing countries use open stoves for
cooking and heating their homes. These homes do not have proper ventilation. The
smoke, which is full of chemicals and carcinogens, gets trapped inside where families
eat and sleep. Outdoor pollution also causes disease and illness, especially in industrial
cities such as Beijing, China, where cancer is the leading cause of death. China relies
heavily on coal, which is considered the dirtiest source of energy. According to the
European Union, only 1% of urban dwellers in China breathe clean air on an average
day. Neighboring countries including Japan and Korea receive much of China's
pollution in the form of acid rain. This pollution results mainly from the coal powered
factories, which produce inexpensive goods for North American and European
consumers. Outdoor air pollution is also a concern in many wealthy countries. Those
who live and work in urban centers such as Los Angeles or Toronto experience many
warm days beneath a layer of smog.

Soil pollution is also a major concern, both in industrial and developing countries.
Pollutants such as metals and pesticides seep into the earth's soil and contaminate the
food supply. Soil pollution causes major health risks to entire ecosystems. This type of
pollution reduces the amount of land suitable for agricultural production and contributes
to global food shortages. Dumping of industrial and domestic waste products produces
much of the world's soil pollution, though natural disasters can also add to the problem.
In wealthy countries such as the US, protection agencies monitor the food supply. The
public is generally warned before major disease outbreaks occur. Developing countries
do not have this luxury. Farmers in poor nations grow food in contaminated soil both to
earn a living and to avoid starvation.

As more people move to urban centers, premature deaths caused by pollution are
expected to increase worldwide. Today, the developed nations who achieved their
wealth at the expense of the environment will be held accountable for protecting the
earth's resources for future generations.

Vocabulary
Word Meaning
acid rain noun
carcinogen noun
contaminated adj.
developing country noun
domestic waste noun
dumping verb
hazardous waste noun
industrial adj.
pesticides noun
pollutant noun
pollution noun
premature adj.
priority noun
sewage noun
smog noun
toxic chemicals (toxins) noun
ventilation noun

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