Factors Causing Air Pollution – Various things can cause air pollution, especially the activities we do every day. This is due to various human activities using tools that often emit smoke and dirty air which pollutes the existing clean air.
According to WHO or the World Health Organization or the World Health Organization, the level of air pollution in the world today is very worrying. Where there are at least 98 percent of cities that have a population of over 100,000 people with low and medium incomes do not have air that meets WHO air quality standards. However, for countries with high income, the percentage decreased to 52 percent.
From the above we see, that air pollution occurs everywhere, especially for cities with low incomes due to the various activities they carry out. However, what activities do we do that can be a factor in causing air pollution? Check out the following information.
Here are some factors that cause air pollution in an area.
Causes of Air Pollution Based on Factors
Based on the book Health Aspects of Air Pollution page 18, it is explained that the causes of air pollution are divided into two factors, as follows.
1. Human Factors
The first factor that causes air pollution is the human factor which is the dominant factor that produces polluted air through various activities, such as motorized vehicle fumes and industrial factory fumes and even household activities can also produce air pollution.
An industrial factory often carries out combustion process activities which produce toxic smoke which is then released into the air and mixes with clean air which causes air pollution.
As one example that we can see is a power plant. Power plants use coal as fuel which can produce SO2 or Sulfur Oxide Particles and NO2 or Nitrogen Oxide which can be harmful to humans if they inhale these compounds.
The following are various human activities that can cause air pollution in an area.
- The first activity is the heating process resulting from the processing of food ingredients such as meat and fish which can produce smoke, dust, and also odors which if done continuously can pollute the environment.
- The second activity is the construction or infrastructure process which can produce smoke and dust in an area. Moreover, if the construction takes a long time it can cause air pollution.
- The third activity is a chemical process, as we can see in the fertilization process, which is the process of fusion of two gametes. The fertilization process itself can produce various vapors, dust, and also gases that can cause air pollution.
- The fourth activity is, transportation fumes as one of the biggest causes of air pollution. We see this most often, where many motorists produce smoke every day which creates air pollution.
- The fifth activity is the use of radioactive materials which are used as a material for nuclear bomb experiments. Nuclear bombs themselves can produce various kinds of radioactive dust particles which can cause air pollution.
- The sixth activity is, various mining and excavation activities that are carried out can produce dust and emissions that cause air pollution.
- The seventh activity is, burning activity. Various combustion activities, such as burning garbage, forest fires, and steel smelting associated with the use of fire can produce smoke, gas and vapor which can cause air pollution.
2. Natural Factors
The second factor that causes air pollution is natural factors which can also create air pollution. This natural factor is an activity that occurs naturally without human intervention or related to human activities.
One example of natural factors is the eruption of a volcano which is a natural process that occurs. The eruption of a volcano can produce various particles of volcanic ash and other environmentally polluting gases that can cause air pollution.
The eruption of a volcano does not only have an impact on air pollution, but how can we see from existing events that it can have an impact on the health of living things living in the area around the mountain, and also that volcanic eruptions can cause weather anomalies.
Causes of Air Pollution Based on Activities or Activities
1. Mining Activities
The first activity that causes air pollution in an area is mining activity. This is still often ignored by many parties as a factor in the emergence of air pollution in an area.
Mining activities can produce various dust and other chemicals which are eventually released into the air, this is because the mining process is usually carried out to extract minerals that are under the earth using large tools that use fuel to move them.
With the large use of large tools in the mining process, the gas and dust produced will also be of the same magnitude which makes air pollution even greater. We often see this problem itself where many employees or workers in the mining sector often have problems with their breathing.
2. Agricultural Activities
The second activity that causes air pollution in an area is agricultural activity. This is because, often in agricultural activities, the process of burning land is carried out which, if done properly, will be very beneficial for farmers, but if it is carried out excessively, this burning activity can produce smoke and dust which can create air pollution.
In addition, agricultural activities are often related to ammonia which is a very reactive chemical and is often used in the fertilizer industry to produce various solid materials such as ammonium salts, nitrate salts, and also urea.
Ammonia itself is one of the most dangerous gases for the atmosphere. Apart from that, farmers often use chemical fertilizers which can affect their harvesting process and when carrying out land burning activities, the gas or smoke released will be more dangerous and cause air pollution.
3. Excessive use of electricity
The third activity that causes air pollution in a region is the excessive use of electricity. This is because in making electricity in Indonesia currently still rely on coal fuel. Therefore, the more use of electricity, the more coal waste that is discharged into the air which causes air pollution.
The combustion of these power plants often occurs imperfectly and in the process emits gases which are harmful to the environment and living things. Following are some of the compounds released, namely sulfur dioxide gas, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, and particulates. Compounds in the form of this gas can harm the environment and cause global warming.
4. Factory Produced Smoke
The fourth activity that causes air pollution in an area is the smoke produced by the factory industry. In the production process, the manufacturing industry will use a large number of tools at once that emit smoke in large quantities and quantities. The smoke is then released and can cause air pollution and also endanger the environment.
In a factory, the smoke is usually discharged through large chimneys in large quantities. Based on existing data, the smoke emitted by the manufacturing industry is one of the biggest contributors to carbon gas in the air. With these many factors, not only can they pollute the air, but the presence of factory industrial activities can be one of the causes of global warming.
5. Waste Generated by Household Activities
Activities that cause air pollution in a fifth area are waste generated from household activities. This is because various household activities often produce waste, such as used plastic packaging, paper, and so on.
Although burning waste is an effective step to decompose and reduce existing waste, it can cause air pollution. The waste resulting from household activities is then disposed of and burned to produce smoke which causes air pollution.
Not only that, several other activities such as painting houses and also using electronic devices that emit smoke and gas can also be factors that cause air pollution.
6. Use of Private Vehicles
The sixth activity that causes air pollution in an area is the use of private vehicles, especially for motorists. These two-wheeled vehicles are often one of the causes of air pollution which continues to increase in Indonesia today.
Motorized vehicles emit a large amount of smoke in Jakarta every day, because the majority of the population in Indonesia drive these two-wheeled vehicles. This is what makes the air index in the capital Jakarta worse if we compare it to rural areas.
Here are some substances and compounds that are released and produced from the use of motorized vehicles.
- Lead or lead (Pb)
- Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM)
- Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
- Hydrocarbon (HC)
- Carbon Monoxide (CO)
- Photochemical Oxides (OX)
7. Smoke Produced by Cigarettes
The seventh activity that causes air pollution in an area is the smoke produced from consuming cigarettes. Often we meet many smokers who are not sensitive to the consequences of cigarette smoke for other people and also the environment which can be a factor causing air pollution. Plus, cigarette smoke has a dangerous content for those who inhale it because it can cause health problems.
Often we meet, many people who experience problems or diseases related to breathing even though they don’t smoke, because they are constantly exposed to cigarette smoke which makes them passive smokers. To anticipate this, smokers can carry out their activities in a special place and not in any place, in addition to reducing the possibility of air pollution, that way people who don’t smoke are also not exposed to cigarette smoke.
8. Volcanic Eruption
Activities that cause air pollution are volcanic eruptions. However, this is one of the natural factors that cause air pollution due to volcanic eruptions that cannot be controlled by anyone.
With a volcanic eruption, it is often accompanied by spewing volcanic ash from within. This volcanic ash contains various dangerous compounds such as lead, copper, zinc, chromium, iron, to silica which can be at risk of causing air pollution.
Air Pollution Solutions
1. Walk and Ride a Bike
The first solution to prevent and reduce existing air pollution is to walk and ride a bicycle. This is because walking for those who are rarely near and riding a bicycle for those who are far enough can reduce the use of motorbikes which is one of the factors causing air pollution.
Motor vehicles emit smoke containing sulfur dioxide which is one of the six dangerous pollutants that cause air pollution. By reducing the use of motorized vehicles and replacing them with walking and riding bicycles, you can reduce the effects of air pollution.
In addition, by cycling you will get various benefits for the body because cycling can optimize the performance of the cardiovascular system, namely the heart and blood vessels, by strengthening the muscles in the heart and helping to increase blood circulation to various parts of the body.
2. Farming
The second solution to prevent and reduce existing air pollution is to carry out farming activities, which can help reduce air pollution caused by air pollution by planting various plants that can ward off pollution.
Some plants that can be used to reduce and prevent air pollution, such as chrysanthemum, aloe vera, bamboo, dracaena, mother-in-law’s tongue, and many more. The plants mentioned can help reduce and ward off air pollution because they are able to filter harmful substances produced by pollution through their pores.
Plants also have other functions, in the long term plants can improve the ecosystem and air quality in your home environment, and also help stabilize and reduce the level of air pollution on earth.
3. Not Burning Garbage
The third solution to prevent and reduce existing air pollution is not to burn garbage because it can emit smoke which causes air pollution. Often many people burn their trash because they think burning it can break down and eliminate piles of trash quickly. However, this step is wrong because it can damage the environment.
Based on research conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency, compounds produced from burning waste can cause air pollution, such as carbon monoxide and formaldehyde which are known as two hazardous substances that cause pollution and cause various health problems and respiratory diseases.
4. Save Electricity Usage
The fourth solution to prevent and reduce existing air pollution is to conserve electricity. As explained above, to produce electricity requires the burning of coal or oil which can cause air pollution.
By using electricity excessively, the greater the smoke that will be released into the air which can have an impact on the ozone layer due to the release of sulfur dioxide which is released onto the ground, then evaporates and causes air pollution.
Author : Andrew