Pollution and Death.

According to ScienceDaily news, 40% of deaths worldwide are caused by water, air and soil pollution. 1.2 billion people do not have access to clean water, and since polluted water accounts for 80% of infectious diseases, they are more susceptible to these diseases. Water pollution provides a breeding ground for malaria-carrying mosquitos, which kill 1.2 million to 2.7 million people annually. Water pollution can cause: typhoid, hepatitis, cancer, hormonal problems, liver and kidney damage, DNA damage, amoebiasis, giardiasis, ascariasis, and many more. Air pollution kills 3 million people a year. The United States alone releases 3 million tons of toxic chemicals, which contribute to cancer, birth defects, immune system defects and other serious health issues. Air pollution also gives those with diseases such as diabetes, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis a higher risk of death. Air pollution can cause: reduced lung functioning, irritation of eyes, nose or mouth, coughing, wheezing, increased respiratory diseases, reduced energy levels, headaches, neurobehavioral disorders, cardiovascular problems, cancer, and premature death. Soil pollution causes various microbes to become drug-resistant, which has cause the reemergence of diseases such as tuberculosis and influenza. New diseases are also emerging from polluted soil- such as West Nile Virus and Lyme disease. Soil pollution causes: cancer, kidney damage, brain developmental damage in young children, and others. Soil pollution can also make its way into water, food, and can also be inhaled. These unsanitary conditions, filled with different pollutants, cause more than 5 million deaths a year, more than half of which are children. The British Journal, The Lancelot, will be featuring a series of six papers beginning November 25. In these papers, coauthored by Kirk R. Smith and Michael Jerret professors at University of California, a study shows the health implications in both high and low income countries. The paper shows the long term effects of black carbon, this being the first study of its' kind. Smith says that "combustion-related air pollution is estimated to be responsible for nearly 2.5 million premature deaths annually around the world and for a significant portion of greenhouse warming." Pollution causes serious health issues around the world. If we do not start to cut down on pollutants, these numbers will increase and continue to increase. New diseases will form, and continue to mutate so that we will no longer have cures.

From ScienceDaily news and

http://www.tropical-rainforest-animals.com/pollution-effects.html

First Post.

This is my pollution blog. In it I will be discussing new information emerging about pollution and its effects on our health and habitat. I will be finding more and more news articles covering this sort of information, like this one: Air Pollution Increases Infants' Risk of Bronchiolitis. I found that when exposed to "NO, NO₂, SO₂ and CO increased bronchiolitis risk by 8, 12, 4 and 13 percent respectively." (ScienceDaily) Pollution has also been found to cause more cases of appendicitis, especially on "high ozone" days. (ScienceDaily) Pollution is a huge cause of many different medical issues. Take China, for example, their pollution has gotten so bad that it is causing more and more cancers, making cancer the leading cause of death. In China, 5oo million people do no have access to safe and clean drinking water. The pollution in China is spilling over to other countries, causing problems as far as Los Angeles. (The New York Times)

Pollution is a growing issue in our country, and it is a problem we all share. We are all contributing to the pollution of the Earth, and we all need to pitch in in order to save our home. I will continue to be posting updates on this growing issue.