One reason: "...The researchers reviewed 1,398 cases of women who had experienced a miscarriage in and around Salt Lake City between 2007 and 2015 in the hopes of establishing a link between air pollution and spontaneous pregnancy loss. After analyzing the different cases, the researchers found that exposure to increased levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in particular over a period of one week correlated with a 16 percent increase in miscarriage." See source (News article): https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-increases-miscarriage/
"RESULTS: We found that a 10-ppb increase in 7-day average levels of nitrogen dioxide was associated with a 16% increase in the odds of spontaneous pregnancy loss (odds ratio [OR] = 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01–1.33; P=.04)." See source (Full text to research publication): https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(18)32154-X/fulltext
What's your solution to air pollution?
Simply because air pollution adversely affects the human and plant life.
Effects of air pollution on humans
Prolonged exposure to toxic pollutants from various sources affects the normal functioning of life. Elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and smog causes increase in incidence of allergic diseases like nausea, vomiting and and eye irritation. The toxic elements in the atmosphere are responsible for asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and related respiratory disorders. Elderly people, infants, pregnant women and people with cardiac and respiratory disorders are especially vulnerable to air pollution.
Organic lead emitted from automobiles get absorbed in brain, liver, kidney and blood, causing convulsions, muscular paralysis, reduction in Red Blood Cells (RBC) count and brain damage. Carbon monoxide (CO) combines with blood haemoglobin much faster than oxygen thus reducing the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. It combines with haemoglobin more than 200 times faster than oxygen (O2). Carbon monoxide in heavy traffic causes headache, drowsiness and blurred vision. Exposure to air containing even 0.001% of carbon monoxide for several hours causes coma and even death.
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) irritates the respiratory tissues. It also reacts with water in the atmosphere to form sulphur-containing acids. The acids when inhaled affect the lungs.
Nitrogen oxides (NO & NO2) irritates lungs aggravates asthma or chronic bronchitis and increases susceptibility to respiratory infection like influenza. The continued inhalation of ozone causes chest pain, breathlessness and irritation of eye, nose and throat.
Effects of air pollution on plants
Air pollution causes damage to crop plants, tree and vegetation as a whole. Chronic exposure of the leaves to air pollutants breaks down the waxy coating that helps in preventing excess water loss and provides protection to plants from diseases and pests infestations. Elevated level of sulphur dioxide in atmosphere adversely affects flowering in plants and causes injury to leaves.
High concentration of sulphur dioxide gas causes damage like breaking down of chlorophyll leading to chlorosis and necrosis. Sensitivity to sulphur dioxide varies from crop to crop and species to species. Among vegetable crops alfalfa and tomato, wheat and barley among cereals and apple among the tree crops are the most sensitive to higher concentration of sulphur dioxide.
Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) causes severe damage to leaves and relatively young tissues, and induces many biochemical and physiological changes. PAN inhibits Hill reaction of photosynthesis. Alfalfa, beans, maize, beet are some the crops sensitive to PAN. However, vegetable crops like cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, onions are resistant to PAN.
Fluorides cause various types of injuries to plants. The leaves of apple, apricot, peach are more susceptible to air borne fluorides. Fluorides interfere with photosynthesis and respiration of plants.
Ozone enters through stomata (opening on the surface of leaves) in plants cause damage to leaves. It damages bean, tobacco, tomato, pine and other plants. Ozone causes tip burn in pine seedlings. Furthermore, ozone disposes plants to insects.
Air pollution results in a number of negative factors. You mentioned an interesting relationship between air pollution and miscarriage. Another concern is asthma. Article Childhood Incident Asthma and Traffic-Related Air Pollution ...
Then of course there's the old go to, acid rain, which is both toxic to the environment and destructive to our architecture.As for solutions, probably the best solution, that a lot of people do not want to consider, is nuclear. I also think that science communication needs to focus more on the environment, overall, rather than specifically on climate change. https://www.researchgate.net/post/Should_science_communicators_focus_on_general_environmental_harm_rather_than_climate_change
Thanks, Daniel Goldman. I appreciate your comment. Air pollution is a serious health concern for those with asthma. Nuclear power is a real possible solution, but likely wouldn't happen any time soon. I'll check out the article you shared. I agree--it is importance that scientists shift their focus from climate change to the environment/environmental harm. I would propose this shift would be brought about best by public education at a young age--like most things. Do you have any ideas for curriculum?
Sarah Fischbuch, I have some harsh views when it comes to the education system. I haven't fully expressed them, though I do write a little bit about it in one of my very short ebooks: https://www.amazon.com/Brief-Discussion-Education-Politicoid-ebook/dp/B00DEI5X8Y
Mainly, I think we need to focus on nurturing the ability to learn and the love of learning, and I think that we need to use a topic or question based approach, rather than subject based approach. If people truly learn to seek out knowledge, and question ideas, I think we'll be good to go, in many regards.
Simply because air pollution adversely affects the human and plant life.
Effects of air pollution on humans
Prolonged exposure to toxic pollutants from various sources affects the normal functioning of life. Elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and smog causes increase in incidence of allergic diseases like nausea, vomiting and and eye irritation. The toxic elements in the atmosphere are responsible for asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and related respiratory disorders. Elderly people, infants, pregnant women and people with cardiac and respiratory disorders are especially vulnerable to air pollution.
Organic lead emitted from automobiles get absorbed in brain, liver, kidney and blood, causing convulsions, muscular paralysis, reduction in Red Blood Cells (RBC) count and brain damage. Carbon monoxide (CO) combines with blood haemoglobin much faster than oxygen thus reducing the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. It combines with haemoglobin more than 200 times faster than oxygen (O2). Carbon monoxide in heavy traffic causes headache, drowsiness and blurred vision. Exposure to air containing even 0.001% of carbon monoxide for several hours causes coma and even death.
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) irritates the respiratory tissues. It also reacts with water in the atmosphere to form sulphur-containing acids. The acids when inhaled affect the lungs.
Nitrogen oxides (NO & NO2) irritates lungs aggravates asthma or chronic bronchitis and increases susceptibility to respiratory infection like influenza. The continued inhalation of ozone causes chest pain, breathlessness and irritation of eye, nose and throat.
Effects of air pollution on plants
Air pollution causes damage to crop plants, tree and vegetation as a whole. Chronic exposure of the leaves to air pollutants breaks down the waxy coating that helps in preventing excess water loss and provides protection to plants from diseases and pests infestations. Elevated level of sulphur dioxide in atmosphere adversely affects flowering in plants and causes injury to leaves.
High concentration of sulphur dioxide gas causes damage like breaking down of chlorophyll leading to chlorosis and necrosis. Sensitivity to sulphur dioxide varies from crop to crop and species to species. Among vegetable crops alfalfa and tomato, wheat and barley among cereals and apple among the tree crops are the most sensitive to higher concentration of sulphur dioxide.
Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) causes severe damage to leaves and relatively young tissues, and induces many biochemical and physiological changes. PAN inhibits Hill reaction of photosynthesis. Alfalfa, beans, maize, beet are some the crops sensitive to PAN. However, vegetable crops like cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, onions are resistant to PAN.
Fluorides cause various types of injuries to plants. The leaves of apple, apricot, peach are more susceptible to air borne fluorides. Fluorides interfere with photosynthesis and respiration of plants.
Ozone enters through stomata (opening on the surface of leaves) in plants cause damage to leaves. It damages bean, tobacco, tomato, pine and other plants. Ozone causes tip burn in pine seedlings. Furthermore, ozone disposes plants to insects.
Air pollution act as a indicator of the society, city and country. Low air pollution indicate the healthy society, city and country.
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