Prevention of Air Pollution

Air pollution is a phenomenon wherein the release of harmful chemicals in the atmosphere results in contamination of air, and makes it unsuitable for various lifeforms on the planet. It is considered to be one of the most serious environmental issues in the world. If air pollution statistics compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO) are to be believed, more than 3 million people in the world die due to some health problems related to environmental air pollution every year. That's not at all surprising, considering that the harmful effects of air pollution range from various health disorders in humans to destruction of the ozone layer of the atmosphere. All being said, our priority now has to be prevention of air pollution and efforts need to start at the very grass root level, i.e. from our side. Before we move on to the details of these 'efforts', let's go through some important air pollution facts which emphasize on the need of its prevention.

Why do we Need to Prevent Air Pollution?

Air pollution is caused when various chemical substances are released in the Earth's atmosphere, as a result of some natural occurrences or some human activities. Natural causes of air pollution include volcanic eruptions, release of methane gas, wildfires etc; while the anthropogenic causes of the same include use of automobiles, power plants, use of solvents, waste deposition, use of nuclear weapons and a lot more. The list of chemical substances which have the tendency to contaminate the air include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide, chlorofluorocarbons, ammonia, etc.

The high concentration of these substances in the atmosphere makes humans and animals more vulnerable to their hazardous effects. In fact, the effects of air pollution are much more intense than we can possibly imagine. For instance, studies reveal that as many as 500,000 people die from cardiopulmonary disease, which is caused as a result of inhaling fine particles in the atmosphere, in the United States alone every year. Natural hazards such as global warming and acid rain are also associated with air pollution to a significant extent. All these harmful effects call for the implementation of various measures for preventing air pollution, and the earlier we do it - the better it is for us.

How to Prevent Air Pollution

The information about air pollution given above must have given you enough reasons to contribute your bit towards its prevention. The anthropogenic causes of air pollution are more as compared to natural causes, and thus the onus in on us to take the necessary steps to ensure that we don't contribute to air pollution - directly or indirectly, any more. Given below are some simple methods which can play a crucial role when it comes to prevention of air pollution and saving the planet.

• Reduce the use of vehicles either by resorting to public transport for daily transportation or switching over from vehicles to other means - such as cycling or walking.
• If the use of vehicle is inevitable, make sure that you use it efficiently - drive within the speed limit recommended by the manufacturer, turn the engine off on red light and make sure that you maintain your vehicle.
• Buying fuel efficient vehicles is yet another option that you have. Several car manufacturers are using advanced technology to roll out vehicles which minimize emissions.
• Implement practices such as 'car pool', wherein you take turns to use your vehicles, in your neighborhood or workplace. Simple, but effective measure when it comes to vehicle pollution.
• Resort to alternative energy sources, such as solar power and wind power, - they are much more environment friendly and quite efficient as well.
• Though indirectly, saving energy by resorting to energy saving appliances and not wasting electricity will also help in curbing air pollution. Lesser the energy requirement, lesser will be produced and this in turn, will lessen the amount of air pollution caused by power plants.
• Do not burn the waste generated in your homes, instead resort to other means of garbage disposal. The same rule implies when it comes to disposal of your garden waste. A better way out is to opt for traditional methods such as composting.
• You can also resort to technologically advanced air pollution control equipment systems such as use of filters to remove dust particles and use of wet scrubbers to remove acid gases in the atmosphere.
• Use a thermostat in your homes so that your heater or air conditioner is automatically switched off when it's not required.
• And lastly, follow all the rules and regulations meant to stop environmental pollution, and do try to spread awareness about such environmental hazards.

Those were some simple steps for prevention of air pollution which can at least help us reduce the intensity of this environmental hazard, - if not get rid of it completely. Bringing everything to halt in a bid to stop environmental pollution is not at all a feasible option. What we can do is reduce its intensity gradually by resorting to simple ways to prevent air pollution mentioned above. These tips may seem to be too simple to tackle a problem of such intensity, but when millions of people do practice them - the end results are bound to be amazing.