Pollution is a kind of problem which no ends since many years ago. Pollution can be defined as the phenomenon that occurred on environment that caused a fatal effect on human, and other living things. It also means the process of damaging the air, water or land by using chemical of other substances.-(MacMillan Dictionary). The other definition of pollution is the action of polluting especially by environmental contamination with man-made waste; also: the condition of being polluted. - (Merriam Webster).
Pollution can be divided into four types, air pollution, water pollution, land pollution and noise pollution. These kind of pollution occurred in Malaysia. Air pollution is the introduction of chemical, particulate matter, or biological material that cause harm or discomfort to human or other living organism, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere. - (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
Water pollution can be defined as the contamination of water bodies. – (Wikipedia). Water pollution is also an undesirable change in the state of water, contaminated with harmful substances. – (N. sandhyarani). Besides, land pollution is the degradation of Earth’s land surfaces often by human activities and their misuse of land resources. – (Wikipedia). Land pollution basically is about contaminating the land surface of the Earth through dumping urban waste matter indiscriminately, dumping of industrial waste, mineral exploitation, and misusing the soil by harmful agricultural practices. – (Rita Putatunda).
Besides, the country like China, United State of America (USA), and other also facing this problem seriously. It can prove by the list below which taken from Airzone.blog.com.
1. During winter months, 49 percent of soot and other particle pollution in Sacramento is caused by burning wood in fireplaces and wood stoves.
2. According to the World Health Organization, if you are one of the 18 million residents of Cairo:
- Breathing daily air pollution is like smoking 20 cigarettes a day
- You take in over 20 times the acceptable level of air pollution each day.
- Breathing daily air pollution is like smoking 20 cigarettes a day
- You take in over 20 times the acceptable level of air pollution each day.
3. The World Bank reported in 2002 that pollution causes 2.42 billion dollars worth of damage to the Egyptian environment annually - equaling about 5 percent of the country’s annual gross domestic product.
4. The risk of cancer from breathing diesel exhaust is about ten times more than ingesting all other toxic air pollutants combined, with diesel emissions contributing to over 70% of the cancer risk from air pollution in the USA. – reported by Environmental Defense.
5. The Boston area ranks number 5 in the country for premature deaths due to diesel pollution annually. – (Clean Air Task Force.)
In the state of Massachusetts alone, diesel emissions are responsible for the following annual statistic:
· 450 premature deaths.
· 700 non-fatal heart attacks.
· 9900 asthma attacks
· 13000 respirator system in children.
· 60000 work loss days.
6. According to Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology, carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) is rising at an alarming rate. During the 1990s, carbon dioxide emissions increased approximately 1.3% each year. But since 2000, the rate has increased to 3.3% per year, with an estimated annual global CO2 emissions increase of 35% from 1990 to 2006.
7. A recent study from Toronto Public Health estimates over 440 deaths a year in the Canadian city can be directly attributed to traffic emissions.
8. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have:
- Contributed 25% of the total diesel particulate emissions in the Los Angeles Basin.
- Added more Nitrogen Oxide emissions to the atmosphere than all of the 6 million cars operating in this area of California.
- Have not completed an environment impact report for infrastructure improvement projects in six years.
- Contributed 25% of the total diesel particulate emissions in the Los Angeles Basin.
- Added more Nitrogen Oxide emissions to the atmosphere than all of the 6 million cars operating in this area of California.
- Have not completed an environment impact report for infrastructure improvement projects in six years.
9. Emissions from ocean-going ships contribute to approximately 60,000 deaths each year, mostly from heart and lung-related cancers. Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong rank within the world’s top 5 busiest ports, and experience a higher impact from emissions-related health issues.
10. According to the US-EPA, emissions from power plants contribute to over 2,800 lung cancer deaths and 38,200 heart attacks annually in the US.
(The Airzone Blog, 14 Nov 2007)
The excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human and animal life is the definition of noise pollution. – (Wikipedia). Noise pollution is a type of energy pollution in which distracting, irritating, or damaging sounds are freely audible. – (what.is.what.com ).
Hence, human and living thing became the victims of the effect that caused by pollution. The example of effect that clearly affects the human is the reducing rate of human health. The study of data from 1996 to 2006 tied a reduction in visibility because of pollution to higher death rates, according a statement from the university's researchers. – (today online.com, 20 Jan 2011).
Based on the information above, we can imagine how worse this problem it is. So, we should take good and fast action in order to reduce the pollution.