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Air pollution is the largest environmental risk factor for disease and premature death [5] [14] and the fourth largest risk factor overall for human health. [15] Air pollution causes the premature deaths of around 7 million people worldwide each year, [5] or a global mean loss of life expectancy (LLE) of 2.9 years, [16] and there has been no ...
Changes in climate can cause decreasing yields for some crops and regions, resulting in higher food prices, food insecurity, and undernutrition. Climate change can also reduce water security. These factors together can lead to increasing poverty, human migration, violent conflict, and mental health issues. [7][8][3]
Various definitions of pollution exist, which may or may not recognize certain types, such as noise pollution or greenhouse gases.The United States Environmental Protection Administration defines pollution as "Any substances in water, soil, or air that degrade the natural quality of the environment, offend the senses of sight, taste, or smell, or cause a health hazard.
Looking down from the Hollywood Hills, with Griffith Observatory on the hill in the foreground, air pollution is visible in downtown Los Angeles on a late afternoon.. Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials into the atmosphere, causing harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damaging ecosystems.
An air quality index (AQI) is an indicator developed by government agencies [1] to communicate to the public how polluted the air currently is or how polluted it is forecast to become. [2][3] As air pollution levels rise, so does the AQI, along with the associated public health risk. Children, the elderly and individuals with respiratory or ...
Indoor air pollution is a major health hazard in developing countries and is commonly referred to as "household air pollution" in that context. [3] It is mostly relating to cooking and heating methods by burning biomass fuel, in the form of wood, charcoal, dung, and crop residue, in indoor environments that lack proper ventilation. Millions of ...
Reaction with daylight ultraviolet (UV) rays and these precursors create ground-level ozone pollution (tropospheric ozone). Ozone is known to have the following health effects at concentrations common in urban air: Irritation of the respiratory system, causing coughing, throat irritation, and/or an uncomfortable sensation in the chest.
The Public Health Act was passed in 1875, which legislated not just for the health effects of air pollution but also the visual effects. Greater scientific efforts to measure air pollution played an increasing part in drawing attention to the problem. Robert Angus Smith made the first measurements of acid rain from rain samples in 1852. [25]