Air Pollution and Its World History Essay

Introduction

The history of air pollution dates back long time. References of air pollution in history can be found as early as 61 A.D. when Seneca, a roman philosopher mentioned heavy air in his notes. Miasma, a medical theory, popularized in the middle ages and prevailed until mid 1800s. It was the proposed explanation of cholera, which spread in London and in Paris. Miasma, regarded to be a toxic vapor or mist that is composed of particulate decayed matter, spread illnesses and was identified by its pungent, foul smell due to rotten material. Its prevention by sanitization and cleaning of the body and matter was proposed. Believed to be spread by air, cholera was accounted to the presence of a toxic miasmatic concentration. Mid-nineteenth century English Sanitary reforms are credited to the miasmatic theory, which helped in enhancements in sanitation and reduced occurrence of cholera (Wark, Air Pollution: Its Origin and Control, pp. 67-70).

Main body

Smoke, containing carbon monoxide as a key component, causes carbon monoxide poisoning with the aid of hydrogen cyanide and phosgene. Smoke inhalation, noxious and/or irritating, causes loss of consciousness. Moreover, it can cause back draft, flashover and even hinder visibility. The worst disaster caused by this property was the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire in Worcester, Massachusetts on December 3, 1999. Owing to the remarkable similarity of each floor, the firefighters became disoriented due to the intense smoke. Increased energy needs required the burning of some materials like coal or wood, the byproduct of which is smoke. From the times of industrial revolution, smoke pollution was a concern and continues to be one with vehicles and industries replacing coal and wood. Various measures have been taken ranging from banning the use of coal to alternate sources of energy and implementation of more efficient methods is still a vital subject of study for environmentalists.

Smog literally is a combination of smoke and fog. Smoke, traditionally produced as a byproduct of coal burning, dangerous enough by just itself can be more hazardous with mixture of sulfur dioxide causing classic fog. However, for modern smog smoke from coal has been replaced by auto and industrialized emanation and undergo reactions facilitated by sunrays forming resultant pollutants, which in turn mix with the primary emissions to form photochemical smog. Smog effects industrialized cites which are polluted by smoke and sulfur dioxide due to the presence of large numbers of industries. London faced its most intense episode during the December of 1952 and this incident is termed the Great Smog. Killing 4000 people in four days and 8000 in the aftermath it caused the introduction of the Clean Air Act, which provided smokeless zones and eventually lessened the sulfur dioxide levels (Davis, When Smoke Ran Like Water: Tales of Environmental Deception and the Battle Against Pollution, pp. 103-4).

The concern of global warming, the increasing average temperature of the Earth since the mid-20th century, is attributed to the raise in atmospheric greenhouse gases owing to human actions. The phenomenon cannot be explained by natural causes alone. Human activity from that period onwards has amplified the concentration of assorted greenhouse gases, resulting in intensified radioactive impelling from CO₂, methane, troposphere ozone, CFCs and nitrous oxide. An increase of 36% and 148% of CO₂ and methane respectively has been noted since the origin of the industrial revolution during the mid-1700s. Indication that worldwide warmth will remain increasing has caused some nations, corporations and individuals to take measures to restrain global warming. Some environmentalists suggest a limited fossil fuel manufacture due to a links between fossil fuel production and harmful greenhouse gas emissions (Turner, Workbook of atmospheric dispersion estimates: an introduction to dispersion modeling, pp. 114-5).

In conclusion, we may say that the advent of human race has had an adverse effect on the environment. Historic evidences indicate that the increase in smoke, smog and other forms of air pollutions during the industrial revolution in the eighteenth century has eventually led to the concern of global warming. Man’s negligence to those factors then has become a problem that threatens to slip out-of-hand in the twenty-first century.

Works cited

1. Davis, Devra. When Smoke Ran Like Water: Tales of Environmental Deception and the Battle Against Pollution. Basic Books, (2002).
2. Turner, D.B. Workbook of atmospheric dispersion estimates: an introduction to dispersion modeling (2nd Edition ed.). CRC Press, (1994).
3. Wark, Kenneth & Cecil Francis Warner. Air Pollution: Its Origin and Control Addison-Wesley, (1998)