Friday, July 16, 2010

Smog, Acid Rain, Greenhouse Effect



Smog is a type of large-scale outdoor pollution. It is caused by chemical reactions between pollutants derived from different sources, primarily automobile exhaust and industrial emissions.
Smog is especially harmful for senior citizens, children, and people with heart and lung conditions such as emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma. It can inflame breathing passages, decrease the lungs' working capacity, cause shortness of breath, pain when inhaling deeply, wheezing, and coughing. It can cause eye and nose irritation and it dries out the protective membranes of the nose and throat and interferes with the body's ability to fight infection, increasing susceptibility to illness.

žAnother consequence of air pollution is acid rain. When a pollutant combines with droplets of water in the air, the water (or snow) can become acidified. It damages plants by destroying their leaves, it poisons the soil, and it changes the chemistry of lakes and streams. Damage due to acid rain kills trees and harms animals, fish, and other wildlife.

The Greenhouse Effect, also referred to as global warming, is generally the build up of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere. This buildup acts like a blanket and traps heat close to the surface of our earth. Changes of even a few degrees will affect us all through changes in the climate and even the possibility that the polar ice caps may melt. One of the consequences of polar ice cap melting would be a rise in global sea level, resulting in widespread coastal flooding.

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