Over the years, air pollution has been a worldwide problem, especially in cities that are in urban development or in highly populated metropolises. These pollution problems have been a determining factor in the appearance of various pictures of poisoning diseases., as well as the most severe types of cancer.
In the case of our capital city, the average levels of air pollution registered for emissions of particulate matter significantly exceeded both the international standards of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Environmental Quality Standards (ECAs) established by the national authority. This means a serious health risk, especially for the areas of Lima City, Lima East and Lima North that house the largest proportion of the population and where the highest emission levels have been reported.
The economy has applied different approaches to estimate the effect on the welfare of society from a change in atmospheric quality. The best known method is the evaluation of the cost of the disease through the estimation of dose-response functions. This approach seeks to quantify the total monetary cost that a temporary loss of health entails for the person and for society due to environmental degradation.
In Lima, the level of air pollution is almost six times higher than the "reasonable" maximum established by the World Health Organization, which makes it the Latin American city with the worst indicators and a risk factor for the health of its inhabitants. In this sense, a recent report presented by the WHO warns that living in cities where the levels are two and a half times higher than those recommended "puts the population at risk of suffering long-term health problems."
In Metropolitan Lima, sources of outdoor air pollution include mobile sources, represented by the fleet of vehicles; point sources, made up of the industrial and institutional sector; and area sources, made up of the commercial, service and municipal sectors. For the period 2007 to 2009, the annual average of the most representative air toxics emissions shows a decreasing trend. In the case of NO2 and SO2 in particular, the annual average of emissions for all of Metropolitan Lima has grown at rates of 9% and 24% per year, respectively.
Asimismo, los niveles de emisión promedio, según área de monitoreo, se han mantenido por debajo de los niveles sugeridos por los Estándares de Calidad Ambiental Nacional (ECA). Sin embargo, dichos estándares se sitúan por encima de los estándares de calidad del aire recomendados por organizaciones internacionales.
In the case of SO 2, although it is observed that, in recent years, the level of emissions has been reduced significantly, the districts with the highest contamination are located in Lima City and in South Lima. Of the total registered SO2 emissions in 2009, 36% corresponds to South Lima while 24% to Lima City. Regarding NO 2, until 2008, the main focus of emissions was located in the Lima City area. In that year alone, Lima City registered 45% of total NO 2 emissions. As of 2009, a significant reduction in the participation of this area is observed to 28% of the total emissions generated.
PREVENTIVE MEASURES
The following steps can be taken:
- Hold awareness-raising meetings with community authorities. Organize educational talks for residents. Develop simple demonstrations on air pollution problems with the participation of residents. Promote afforestation and reforestation campaigns. Disseminate the consequences of forest burning., grass stubble, trash, as well as the use of pesticides in agriculture.Include pro-environment actions in community, district and provincial development plans.Restrinja - Reuse - Recycle. Lower consumption will result in less air pollution of all kinds. Refine and maintain cars. Avoid burning garbage and tires, as well as the use of artificial rockets. Avoid buying disposable items and plastics that are not biodegradable.Recycle garbage Do not throw garbage in the streets, forests and parks, wrap or cover it well in the house Rationally use pesticides Avoid tobacco use Take care of forests, do not cause fires or destroy green areas of the city Postpone gardening tasks that require the use of gasoline tools on days with high ozone levels. Eat organic food or at least those that have not been subjected to such intensive use of agrochemicals. Avoid the use of paints, oils and solvents. Reduce the consumption of electricity, which will contribute to decrease the emissions of pollutants and particles. Light the charcoal with an electric lighter instead of liquid fuel. Apply the power of the 3 Erres: Reduce-Reuse-Recycle.Lower consumption will result in less air pollution of all kinds.
POLLUTANTS
TYPES OF AIR POLLUTANTS
Breathable particulate material
Some particles that compose it are soot, derived from vehicular and industrial emissions, lead, arsenic, beryllium, arsenic, etc. Prolonged exposure to these pollutants generally causes an increase in lung cancer, premature deaths, severe respiratory symptoms, irritation of the eyes and nose, etc.
Carbon monoxide or CO2
Pollutant that is contributed by vehicle emissions, and inside homes through stoves, kitchens and cigarette smoke, among others. It is associated with hemoglobin, a protein that transports O2 to the tissues. Therefore, by binding CO to hemoglobin it forms carboxyhemoglobin, which decreases the transport of oxygen (O2) to the heart, other muscles, and the brain. It especially affects cardiac patients and the developing ugly, etc.
Nitrogen dioxide or NO2
This agent is generated naturally by volcanic action and bacteria and also by electronic storms. In the home, NO2 is produced in the use of gas cookers, stoves, and ovens. It affects human health by inducing pulmonary emphysema, damaging lung cells, irritating and removing mucosa.
Sulfur dioxide or SO2
Gas produced by burning fossil fuels in sulfur-containing mineral smelters, certain industrial processes, and in the home by making fires. In the health of us men it is basically irritating to the respiratory tract and this generates broncho construction and obstructive bronchitis.
Ozone or O3:
It is a product of photochemical reactions. The most important effects in humans are: cough and headache, irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, pain in the chest (chest), increased mucus, closure of the airways, discomfort, nausea and increased attacks asthmatics.
Other sources of air pollution:
- Garbage incineration Vehicle gas emissions Burning coal, wood, oil and its derivatives used primarily as a heating medium Industrial waste Atomic radiation
The main air pollutants are the microorganisms, dust, gases and fumes that dirty the air, the nitrogen oxides produced by the factories, the sulfur dioxide of the thermoelectric plants and factories, the carbon monoxide of the exhaust pipes of the moving vehicles, smokestacks and incinerators, ozone and photochemical oxidants, residues from incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons from the exhaust pipes of buses and planes; airborne dust particles, paper-based mercaptan, silicates from cement factories, and iron oxides from the steel industry.
In addition to being harmful to health and modifying its quality, its high concentrations have altered the climate, making it increasingly extreme and causing overheating of the earth.
Another serious danger is represented by the excessive felling of trees, which has caused the growth of desert areas and threatens to destroy the source of air oxygenation.
Some pollutants and their effects on health:
Pollutants and their effects on health
CONSEQUENCES
Air pollution in metropolitan Lima results in health problems and environmental impact on our environment, which over time, will become much more serious if we do not do our part to seek to reduce this disease that is afflicting to our city.
The residues that are suspended in the air can be solid, liquid or gaseous and are called pollutants. Air pollution indirectly causes water and soil pollution.
Moisture in the air combines with toxic emissions, generating polluted precipitation. This acid rain acidifies surface waters, such as lakes, and soils. Over time, acidity builds up in the soil and water, becoming dead ecological zones that are of no use to animals or plants.
The environmental problems originated by the current economic, political and social system have not stopped increasing since the industrial revolution, although environmental deterioration has not been the same in all places, since the level of environmental aggression has changed throughout the weather. This, based on various studies that verify how some of the different environmental problems, such as the quality of running water, and certain types of pollution such as sulfur dioxide, obviously improve as the economic level grows from a certain level and historically, since the beginning of the industrial age.
However, problems such as waste generation and emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2), the main greenhouse gas, seem to grow considerably; Resource consumption also increases visibly with prosperity.
Health problems:
Health problems due to air pollution can bring us respiratory diseases, hearing and viral illnesses, and even problems in the circulatory system. In general, they affect the most susceptible human groups, such as the elderly, children and people with chronic or pre-existing diseases.
| POLLUTANTS | DISEASES |
| Sulfur dioxide. | Bronchitis |
| Ozone and suspended particles | Serious damage to the lungs, |
| Cigarette smoke | Cancer |
| Nitrogen oxides | They weaken the immune system and intensify asthma problems. |
| Carbon monoxide | Aggravates symptoms of cardiovascular disease, decreases brain functions. |
In Lima we have a large number of cars, combis, buses, street vendors and more. Being exposed to poor quality air on a daily basis is very dangerous. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this air causes about two million premature deaths a year worldwide. Well, according to official calculations, 25% of the population of Lima suffers it. In addition, it brings us heart disease, since contaminating particles can reach the blood.
In Latin America, the city with the worst indicators of air quality is Lima and the one with the cleanest air is Salvador de Bahía (Brazil), according to a report presented by the World Health Organization (WHO), which reveals that more half of the world population lives in cities with pollution rates 2.5 times higher than those recommended by the body.
The reasonable level of these particles is an annual average of up to 10 micrograms per cubic meter. If the presence is greater, it can be considered that there is contamination harmful to health and if it is less, that the air is clean. Although the general index for Lima is 38 micrograms of PM 2.5 per cubic meter, 58 micrograms was found in the northern cone of the Peruvian capital, that is, almost six times the level established by the WHO (10 micrograms per cubic meter).). The study differentiates Lima Norte (58) from Lima Este (36) and Lima Sur (29).
According to the WHO, the San Juan de Lurigancho district is the most polluted district in Lima and Latin America. On the other hand, the district of Chorrillos is the one with the lowest level of contamination.
Likewise, it was reported that the air breathed in Lima contains almost five times more sulfur dioxide (SO2) than three years ago. This polluting element is mainly generated by oil trucks and buses.
- Deterioration in men's health, cardiovascular problems, conjunctivitis, bronchial diseases, lung cancer, skin cancer, vision problems, blood diseases, problems in the mental development of the unborn, among others. Great repercussions in the evolutionary process. of plants, in many cases preventing photosynthesis, with serious consequences for the purification of the air breathed by other living beings on the planet.Decrease in the production of edible plants due to the same process discussed in the previous point, with the known effects on the feeding of the species that consume it, among them man.The accumulation of these gases in the atmosphere generates the already known environmental problems with their particular consequences in each case, such as smog, acid rain,the decrease in the ozone layer, global warming, the greenhouse effect, etc.
CONCLUSION
We are living in a very unpleasant world for our health and the worst thing is that we are the same population who are promoting all this to happen since with all the technology we need to live we are harming our environment; it seems illogical that they allow the release of so many products to the market, if they have the idea that these are harming our environment, there must be a control of all these products so that instead of increasing it decreases, as we all know, There are products such as aerosols or sprays that have already come onto the market, these being the ones that pollute and harm the atmosphere, who have the logistical support of many multinational companies, when it should be the opposite; that is, the information and pollution prevention that should be supported by the aforementioned companies.
To the large industries that they are the ones that pollute the most, there should be a control that if they exceed the pollutants dumped, they are closed or they take other strategies so that they do not continue polluting. Education towards the population is a very important strategy since this change depends on the population, we must start by changing our attitude and thus transmit this knowledge to the youngest members of the household by example, so that they likewise become aware and change your attitude, for me I think that education towards children who are the future of the world is the most important thing and our survival will depend on them,And the world in which we want our children to live depends on the adult population, so we only have to be aware of the damage that we cause with the use of all these products and decrease them, and thus a great change will be seen.
In summary, transport is the main cause of air pollution compared to industry, whether it is manufacturing or electricity production. Within transport, the private vehicle is the main culprit for the poor air quality situation. Which means that the use of the car causes to a great extent the serious problem we are dealing with.
The best remedy for air pollution is to base our whole lives on clean and renewable energy. Also encourage the use of public transport, bicycle and electric car. Control of gas emissions by authorities is also important to encourage the use of alternative sources.
Pollution prevention involves the use of materials, processes or practices that reduce or eliminate the generation of pollutants or waste at the source, that is, in the same industry. By avoiding waste, companies eliminate the problems of their treatment and disposal, saving them money and allowing them to focus on their main goals of providing goods or services. Pollution prevention includes practices that reduce the use of hazardous and non-hazardous materials, energy, water and other resources, as well as strategies to protect natural resources through their conservation or more efficient use.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- El Comercio (2014) Limeños live at risk from excessive air pollution. Recovered from: http: //elcomercio.pe/ciencias/planeta/limenos-vivimos-riesgo-excesiva-contaminacion-aire-noticia-1728258Pulgar Vidal J. (2013) Polluting elements.Jorge L. Inche, PREVENTION OF POLLUTION (P2) IN THE INDUSTRY, (1998), INDUSTRIAL DATA. Recovered from: http://sisbib.unmsm.edu.pe/bibvirtual/publicaciones/indata/v01_n1/prevencion.htm#PROGRAMAOchoa García Carolina. (2015, May 25). Consequences of globalization on environmental management. Recovered from: http://www.gestiopolis.com/consecuencia-de-la-globalizacion-en-el-manejo-del-medio-ambienteFazio Horacio. (2013, January 15). The environmental impact between ethics and the economy. Recovered from http://www.gestiopolis.com/impacto-ambiental-entre-etica-economia(2015, June 3).Benefits of having more trees in cities. Recovered from
ANNEXES
STRENGTHENING THE NATIONAL AIR QUALITY SANITARY SURVEILLANCE NETWORK
Air Quality in Peru - Network
Danger of pollutants to humans
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