Wednesday, October 27, 2010

How Light Pollution Can Affect the Environment



We have all heard of water pollution and air pollution. Furthermore, most people would not argue the fact that they are indeed a problem. However, light may be the only source of pollution that is overlooked by the average consumer. That may be because the average person does not think "light" when the word pollution comes up in the news or in conversation. After all, it is just light right? No, it is actually not that simple. Light pollution is defined as the lightening of the night sky due to artificial light being scattered about, it is also known as sky glow. Unnecessary light not only wastes massive amounts of electricity, but it adversely affects wildlife as well.

Light pollution, also called sky glow, is defined as light wastefully escaping into the night sky and causing a glow over urban/suburban areas. It also refers to light that is
being refracted in the surrounding atmosphere. This refraction is strongly related to the wavelength of the light. Rayleigh scattering, which makes the sky appear blue in the daytime, also affects light that comes from the earth into the sky and is then redirected to become sky-glow, seen from the ground. As a result, blue light contributes significantly more to sky-glow than an equal amount of yellow light. Sky glow is of particular irritation to astronomers, because it reduces contrast in the night sky to the extent where it may even become impossible to see the brightest stars.

So, what kind of lighting is harmful? The truth is that there are indoor and outdoor lighting that can be harmful in the long run. Research has been being done on the subject for years and it is well known that indoor fluorescent lighting can cause many health problems such as migraine headaches, fatigue, irritability and many other health conditions. But as for the outdoor environment, nighttime security lighting poses the biggest threat in terms of light pollution. Moreover, studies have shown that outdoor security lighting does not reduce crime, and uses approximately 800 pounds of coal each year per light. Have you ever looked up into the sky at night only to see a haze of dim light? This is the perfect example of light pollution. Researchers have been studying this problem for years and have produced actual photographs of landmasses, cities and rural areas around the world at nighttime. The results spoke for themselves; nighttime light is definitely a problem.

Light that is considered annoying, wasteful or harmful causes damage to the environment and health, as do other forms of pollution.Some indoor and outdoor lighting are considered harmful in the long run, It is well known that indoor fluorescent lightning can cause many health problems such as migraine, headaches, fatigue, irritability and many othe health conditions. Approximately 800 pounds of coal each year is wasted on per light. Outdoors, light pollution harms nocturnal wildlife.

Constant lighting could destroy crops, trees and even wildlife. Plants depend on the cycle of light and dark for proper growth. The onset of darkness is crucial to the flowering and reproduction process. Birds have been known to fly into towers and windows at night due to the confusion caused by nighttime lighting. The fact that night should be dark in not always the case nowadays. In some places like Las Vegas, you cannot even tell
if it is night or day because the billions are so bright you feel like you are in another dimension.

Life existed in fixed natural cycles of light and dark, so disruption of those patterns influence many aspects of animal behaviour. Light pollution confuses animal navigation, alter competitive interactions, change predator-prey relationships and influence animal physiology. Studies suggest that light pollution around lakes prevents zooplankton from eating surface algae, causing algal blooms that kill off the lake's plants and lower water quality. Nighttime light also interferes with the ability of moths and other nocturnal insects to navigate. Night blooming flowers that depend on moths for pollination will be affected by night lighting. This leads to species decline of plants that are unable to reproduce and change an area's long-term ecology.

Lights on tall structures disorient migrating birds. The number of birds killed after being attracted to tall towers is estimated to be from 4-5 million per year. The fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) works with building owners in Toronto, Canada and other cities to turn off lights during migration periods to reduce the mortality of the birds.

Contrary to misconception, sea turtle hatchlings are not attracted to the moon. Rather, they find the ocean by moving away from the dark silhouette of dunes and their vegetation, a behaviour that artificial lights interfere with. Lights may also disorient young seabirds as they leave their nests and fly out to sea.

Nocturnal frogs and salamanders are also affected. Since they are nocturnal, they wake up at night. Light pollution causes salamanders to emerge from concealment later, giving them less time to mate and reproduce.

So to do your part for the environment, make sure that your exterior lighting is ordinance compliant lighting. By this, is meant that only light the ground beneath them and never shine across onto a neighboring property or into the night sky. Secondly, by making sure that your outdoor lights are only on when needed. Dusk to dawn lighting is to be strictly avoided. Thirdly, reduce the wattage of your bulbs. The human eye is remarkable in its ability to adapt to the amount of light present. Too much light can be overwhelming and glaring, actually reducing visibility. Even a small reduction in wattage will reduce light pollution.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Types of Environmental Pollution



Pollution is the result of progression and development that is occurring on a regular basis. With the growth of technology more and more development is taking place in order to improve the quality of human life. This series is certainly giving high level of comfort and a rich lifestyle to all humans but is sadly diminishing the worth of human health; the need to have a good and healthy environment is ignored.

Many new inventions and introductions are causing a danger to human life as they are done artificially. This artificial and unsystematic way of generating high level of comforts is producing components that are inevitable to human life. Be it any thing including the basic needs of life like clothing and even food is now being produced synthetically. Just one insight into the depth of ecology will make us realize that the increasing need of the present day lifestyle is eventually creating an imbalance in the ecology.

Here are some of the most common types of environmental pollution that are gradually bringing people to a morbid stage:

Noise Pollution

Any kind of noise that is unpleasant to human ears is considered as noise pollution. Loud and hard sounds coming from factories, machinery, automobiles, trains, fire crackers, and explosives are also contributing to noise pollution. It is also caused by some natural calamities like harsh winds and volcanic eruptions. Both natural and artificial factors contributing to noise or sound pollution have their impact on human health. This kind causes irritation, hearing issues, and headache. However these are not major issues but extremely unpleasant sounds can be very harmful as they can cause an increase in the cholesterol, constrict arteries, an increase in the flow of adrenaline, and also forces the heart to function at a faster pace. All these can be life threatening as these factors can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

Water Pollution

Any kind of harmful components or contaminants entering the water bodies like river, oceans, lakes, ponds, and streams cause water pollution. Many human activities like washing cleaning, and dumping waste significantly contribute to water pollution. The soaps and detergents used these days are also made of harmful chemicals and synthetic materials that produce more contaminants in water. Furthermore, dumping waste like cans, bottles, and plastic materials also pose danger. It not only destroys marine life but is also hazardous to human life. This kind of polluted water is not safe for drinking, agriculture or even industrial use.

Air Pollution

Air pollution is caused by discharge of harmful substances in the air. One of the key contributing factors is automotive pollution. With the growing technology, the number of vehicles on road is dramatically increasing which is eventually giving a pushing up the level of air pollution. Apart from this, industries indulged into thermal power plant, cement, steel, mines, petro-chemicals, and steel also generate harmful substances that are released into the atmosphere. This kind of pollution has caused harm to the protective ozone layer in the atmosphere. This layer protects the earth from the harmful effects of ultra-violet rays but thinning of this layer is causing a danger to human life.

Radioactive Pollution

Radioactive pollution is a rare kind but is detrimental. It is caused by accidents in the nuclear power plant, improper disposal of nuclear waste, and operations of uranium mining. Radioactive pollution causes cancer, various kinds of birth defects, and many other serious health issues.

Soil Pollution

Soil pollution, also known as land pollution, is defined as the contamination of soil. These days many artificial substances and synthetic pesticides are used for agriculture. Such substances release contaminants that create an imbalance in the soil and also prevent natural growth of the plants cultivated on polluted land. Key factors contributing to soil pollution are sewage pills, hazardous waste, non-sustainable agriculture practice, use of inorganic pesticides, deforestation, strip mining, and certain human activities like dumping and littering.

www.made-from-india.com maintains a trade directory that contains information on pollution control equipment exporter from India, pollution monitoring equipment supplier from India, air pollution control equipment exporters in India, air cleaning equipment, water treatment plant exporters, environment protection products supplier form business to business trade India…

Thursday, October 21, 2010

History And Causes Of Environmental Pollution



The surroundings in which we live all living and non living materials are called our environment. The factors or pollutants which cause disturbance in natural environment are called pollution. Ecosystem (The natural process of producers and consumers) is destroyed due to some harmful human activities is called Pollution.

Pollution is a kind of harmful effect of the excess use of chemicals and energy resources like heat, light, sound etc.

History:-

The pollution history is as old as the history of man when he developed new era for existing and maintaining new lines of fulfillment of his needs. Human science starts when man invented wheel and fire. Gradually the human population increased and to improve the life, science developed.

Increase of scientific inventions and to get comforts produce many issues in which pollution became popular and burning issue. In 1952, after 2nd World War a non nuclear event taken place and four thousand people killed. Then the first clean air Act of 1956 passed. After that many acts are passed to check the pollution on international level as

  • Noise control Act.
  • Clean Water Act.
  • National Environmental Policy Act.

The most dangerous Aspect of Modern Science.

Nuclear science development introduced the term of radio-activeness, the uncontrolled destruction of items of uranium is the most dangerous aspect for all kind of lives on the earth. This nuclear pollution can destroy the whole world in seconds.

Awareness:

Due to the excess use of energy resources and establishment of industry are the main causes of pollution. After 2nd world war people aware about the negative use of scientific of inventions. Then modern scientists give the term of global warming and ozone layer.

Through media and the progress in information technology now people are much more aware about their environment and threat of pollution. Now many organizations have been developed and many international rules are being enforced to check environmental pollution.

Kinds of Pollution

Basically there are three kinds of pollution.

1. Air Pollution
2. Water Pollution
3. Land Pollution

Air Pollution:

The excess release of chemicals and smoke in the air through industry and vehicles make more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which is the major cause of Global Warming and the destruction of Ozone Layer. These increase the temperature of Earth.

Water Pollution:

Industries use a plenty of water so these establish mostly on the banks of rivers, canals and lakes. The waste chemical throw in the water which make a layer on water, this layer not allow oxygen to dissolve in water to reach the living organisms in water. This water is not suitable to use in any kind of activity for living things.

Land Pollution:

To fulfill the nutrition needs of increasing population we have to use fertilizers and pesticides. These things polluted the soil. Secondly when air is polluted and water is polluted these produce acid rain this water absorbs in the soil and left harmful chemicals on the land which cause land pollution.

www.made-from-india.com maintains a trade directory that contains information on pollution control equipment exporter from India, pollution monitoring equipment supplier from India, air pollution control equipment exporters in India, air cleaning equipment, water treatment plant exporters, environment protection products supplier form business to business trade India.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

The Menace of Environmental Pollution - The Way Forward



The environment is referred to as man's best friend in articles by great authors whom I had contact with before putting up this article. David McBash Phd, when asked what the environment is to man says "The environment is man's greatest resources regarding the fact that man also evolved from it according to evolutionary science".

Also environmental biologist, Theodore Finley says "Man is a complex organism made up of non-living components found in the environment and this in turn supports man".

In view of the mind striking excerpts from my tete-a-tete with these great people I decided to start off this month with man's best friend, "the environment". Finley's excerpt says that the environment supports man and in no way hazardous. This is a special feature of man as a higher animal, that is, being able to alter the surrounding to support or suit it. This is sometimes not the case where the environment becomes hazardous due to man's activities and the negligence to the menace of environmental pollution.

Here are some of the problems posed by environmental pollution and the way forward.

Noise pollution could be seen as unorganized sound that is unpleasant to the listener. Whether organized or unorganized, any sound that irritates the hearer is noise. The magnitude of sound is measured in decibels. Experts in this field measured the magnitude at which sound could be hazardous to be setting off from 45db. In homes, people now use theater systems whose magnitude is more than 45db. In the short term it is luxury or prestige but in the long term is sure to be hazardous ranging from minor hearing problems to deafness as a result of too much vibration of the middle and inner ear leading to the damage of the auditory nerves. Others are noise from road side record sellers, heavy factories and so on.

The way forward is controlling the sound systems in homes to a minimal no damage level. In case of industries they should be sited away from residential homes. Constant exposures to noise pollution should be avoided.

Research show that hearing problems are increasing at a geometric progression.

Refuse and sewage pollution is another great challenge to our environment. This is more seen in under-developed countries and third world countries where the level of poverty is higher.

Irregular disposal of refuse into culvert, around homes and along roads. Sewage such as waste water disposed directly into culvert, around homes and channeling through open surface canals. These are breeding grounds of disease causing pathogens and infections and disease the dwellers in such surroundings. No wonder malaria is so common in Africa.

Refuse can be burnt in incinerators in places some distances away from residential homes. Research shows that some of these gases irritates the lining of the nostrils and eyes giving rise to the multiple ocular problems. Sewage should be treated to harmlessness and surface channels closed properly. In homes dust and dirt should be disposed off properly in bins or trashes.

Industrial chemicals and fertilizers are also harmful to human population. Direct disposal of industrial chemicals into water bodies and washing of fertilizers into rivers and lakes by rain water poison the planktons on which fishes depend and in turn passes onto the fishes and to man as the food chain continues.

Air pollutants include gaseous pollutants like oxides of Carbon, Nitrogen, Sulphur and so on. The chlorofluorocarbons (easily referred to as CFCs) are no exception. This results in the greenhouse effect; the depletion of the ozone layer by greenhouse gases. The emission of these gases are increasing by the day with less green life to make use of them as a result of development. The amazon forest seems to be the forest standing whose conservation is a global challenge.

Like David McBash Phd said "the environment is man's greatest resources.."must be cherished as much as man would cease not to continue into the future generation.

Save the environment today and stay healthy

Friday, October 8, 2010

Car Pollution and Global Warming - Effects of Car Exhaust on the Environment



Although emissions from an individual car are generally low, relative to the smoke many people associate with air pollution, economies of scale make the personal automobile the single, greatest polluter in big cities due to millions of vehicles being added on the road. Each time we drive we engage in probably the most "polluting" activity of the day.

Emissions produced by vehicles have significant effects on our health as well as the environment, namely, the ozone. Although our car produces several types of pollutants, the following are amongst the most potent:

  • Hydrocarbons: These are known to cause liver damage and even cancer in humans. They are also a major contributor of smog in urban setting. Motor vehicles produce hydrocarbons as a result of unburned or partially burned fuel.
  • Carbon monoxide: This is the stuff that kills you when you fall asleep in the garage with a running car engine. A product of incomplete combustion, carbon monoxide has nothing to do with the smoky colour and smell that comes out of the tail pipe: carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas which is lighter than air. Carbon monoxide reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen; overexposure as you know may be fatal.
  • Nitrogen Oxide: This pollutant destroys our bodies' capacity to resist infections of the respiratory system. In cars, nitrogen oxide is a result of a reaction of nitrogen from the air and oxygen at the high temperature and pressure that occurs during combustion.
  • Particulates: This is the visible smoke or soot that we see coming out of the exhaust pipe and it is made up of very minute particles. Like smoking, this causes respiratory health effects in humans and affect animals, too.
  • Sulphur oxides: These are emitted from motor vehicles burning fuel containing a high concentration of sulphur. Exposure to sulfur dioxide affects the lungs and, at high levels, may result in burning of the nose and throat, breathing difficulties as well as severe airway obstructions.
  • Carbon Dioxide: Although it is a product of "perfect" combustion and does not directly impair human health, it is a "greenhouse gas" that traps the earth's heat and contributes to the potential for global warming.

Although advances in engine and vehicle technology have seen a major reduction on motor vehicle emissions but the sheer numbers of vehicles on the road is arresting this progress. It is therefore imperative for each person to do what they can to further reduce, if not eliminate, motor vehicle pollution altogether, Here are a few things you could do to save the earth:

  • Consider a green car or, at least, an environmentally friendly car for your next car purchase. This could be a hybrid vehicle or any car that is specifically designed to reduce exhaust emission. Depending on pricing, electric cars will be the best option when they go into production in a few years' time, since they produce zero emissions.
  • Switch to clean fuels or biofuel - fuels derived from plant and biomass. Where available, low-sulphur diesel is also a good, green option.
  • Consider adding engine cleaning additives, like EnviroTabs, on your next fuel purchase. Also known as car vitamins, these are added to your tank each time you fill up and they clean the carbon residue in your engine resulting in high reduction of tail pipe emissions as well as more mileage per gallon/liter due to the resultant engine efficiency. You can also sell these

www.made-from-india.com maintains a trade directory that contains information on pollution control equipment exporter from India, pollution monitoring equipment supplier from India, air pollution control equipment exporters in India, air cleaning equipment, water treatment plant exporters, environment protection products supplier form business to business trade India…

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Air Pollution and Global Warming




Global warming has scared the entire world in last few years. Well, it has done all good, at least people now know what they have done till now and how harmful it would be for our earth if we continue doing like this. Our Earth has abundant natural resources and till now we have been using it indiscriminately without realizing that one day all these may just vanish.

Ever since the human civilization has taken place the man kind has been playing with the environment. The human activities and technological advancement has lead to serious consequences.

Global warming is a resultant effect of green house gases. Greenhouse gases contain carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, sulfur dioxide all these gases are trapped in the atmosphere causing a rise in the earth's temperature. Air pollution is directly proportional to global warming. Industrialization, automobile fumes, burning of fossil fuels all these are responsible for air pollution, and it has been depleting the ozone layer in pockets of southern hemisphere over Australia. Depletion of ozone rays allows the harmful ultraviolet rays to reach Earth's surface and therefore, many cases of skin cancer and other diseases have been reported from these parts of the world.

Air pollution is known to cause asthma and other forms of respiratory ailments. In many countries, air pollution has reached such dangerous levels that people are forced to use masks to avoid respiratory ailments. The flora and fauna of the Earth are reducing at an alarming rate, and if it continues like this, it would destroy everything very soon.

www.made-from-india.com maintains a trade directory that contains information on pollution control equipment exporter from India, pollution monitoring equipment supplier from India, air pollution control equipment exporters in India, air cleaning equipment, water treatment plant exporters, environment protection products supplier form business to business trade from India.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Air Pollution and Global Warming



Global warming has scared the entire world in last few years. Well, it has done all good, at least people now know what they have done till now and how harmful it would be for our earth if we continue doing like this. Our Earth has abundant natural resources and till now we have been using it indiscriminately without realizing that one day all these may just vanish.

Ever since the human civilization has taken place the man kind has been playing with the environment. The human activities and technological advancement has lead to serious consequences.

Global warming is a resultant effect of green house gases. Greenhouse gases contain carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, sulfur dioxide all these gases are trapped in the atmosphere causing a rise in the earth's temperature. Air pollution is directly proportional to global warming. Industrialization, automobile fumes, burning of fossil fuels all these are responsible for air pollution, and it has been depleting the ozone layer in pockets of southern hemisphere over Australia. Depletion of ozone rays allows the harmful ultraviolet rays to reach Earth's surface and therefore, many cases of skin cancer and other diseases have been reported from these parts of the world.

Air pollution is known to cause asthma and other forms of respiratory ailments. In many countries, air pollution has reached such dangerous levels that people are forced to use masks to avoid respiratory ailments. The flora and fauna of the Earth are reducing at an alarming rate, and if it continues like this, it would destroy everything very soon.