Introduction
Transportation has significant impacts on all aspects of human beings. It has substantial socio-economic benefits, and every nation strives to have the best transportation network. All transportation activities are vital since they support the ever-increasing demand for freight and passenger mobility. Notably, road, air, maritime, and rail are the common modes used in shipping. The growth of consignment and travelers’ mobility is associated with the rise of negative impacts of transportation through pollutants. The pollution caused by vehicles hurts the environment as well as people’s well-being.
Cause of Pollution
Tracks, cars, locomotives, buses, and airplanes powered by fossil fuels are the major causes of pollution associated with transportation. Their emissions throughout their lifecycle make air dirt, with adverse effects on humans and the environment. Additionally, the pollutants can be related to fuels’ refining and distribution as well as manufacturing and disposal of cars, buses, trucks, and other means of transportation. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (2018), heavy-duty vehicles contribute significantly to pollution. Although they have an indispensable role, comprising ferrying of people around cities, picking up trash from residential, hauling goods to stores from manufacturers, and delivering packages every day, they affect public health and the environment. More than 25 % of emissions from the transportation sector come from these vehicles (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2018). Therefore, pollutants emitted by different means of transportation need to be controlled to minimize the negative impacts on the ecosystem and public human health.
Types of Pollution and Pollutants
Vehicles, trains, airplanes, and ships are associated with air and noise pollution. The fossil-powered means of transportation emit different pollutants to the environment. Particulate matter such as soot found in vehicle exhaust is one type of contaminant (Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.). These fine particles can primary or secondary pollutants from sulfur dioxides, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons. They are mainly associated with diesel exhaust and pose a threat to human health. Other contaminants include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and greenhouse gases (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2018). Vehicles emit such VOCs as acetaldehyde and benzene that react with NOx in the presence of sunlight to form smog. NOx is a primary pollutant, which affects the respiratory system. CO is a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas that blocks oxygen from vital organs when inhaled. SO2 is released into the air by vehicles that use diesel (Napitupulu et al., 2018). All means of transportation, including ships, airplanes, trains, and vehicles, produce greenhouse gases. Indeed, these pollutants are one of the main disadvantages of transportation.
Impacts of Pollution Caused By Transportation
Pollutants emitted by different means of transportation can have direct, indirect, and cumulative effects on the environment and public health. While direct impacts comprise immediate consequences of pollutants such as carbon monoxide and noise emissions, the secondary ones cause problems that cannot openly be linked to the contaminants (Rodrigue, 2020). On the other hand, cumulative effects include both direct and indirect t impacts on the ecosystem and are unpredictable, for example, climate change, which is significantly associated with transportation activities.
Impacts on Environment
The greenhouse effect, which occurs naturally where the earth’s atmosphere partially retains heat, is one of the impacts of pollution caused by transportation. It is associated with such emissions as CO2, nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and halocarbons that accumulate in the atmosphere. According to Rodrigue (2020), transportation activities release several millions of greenhouse gases into the air annually, which is approximately 30 % of greenhouse emissions. Some of the gases (N2O) cause depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, increasing the earth’s surface vulnerability to ultraviolet radiation (Marianna & Mariusz, 2017). The climate change contributed by the emissions is associated with floods because of rising sea levels and harsher operating conditions, negatively affecting transportation (Moretti & Loprencipe, 2018). NOx and SO2 cause acid rain when mixed with cloud water, affecting crops, buildings, and forest coverage. Therefore, climate change’s impact on transportation is indirect and complex.
Particulate matters and gas emissions from marine engines, highway vehicles, aircraft, and locomotives have adverse effects on air quality and are detrimental to human health. These pollutants include carbon monoxide, NOx, lead (Pb), heavy metals (cadmium, copper, chrome, and zinc), volatile components, benzene, and silicon tetrafluoride (SF6) (Matz et al., 2019). However, the level of lead emissions has decreased considerably following the compound’s ban in most countries because of neurotoxic effects on people (National Geographic Staff, 2019). Smog and particulate emissions from vehicle exhaust contaminate the air, increasing skin irritation, respiratory problems, allergies, and eye inflammation (Mackenzie, 2016). Therefore, decreased quality of air caused by transportation pollutants hurts human well-being.
Transportation activities negatively affect the quality of water and cause environmental noise. Vehicles, trains, aircraft, and marine vessels discharge hazardous particulate matters that pollute a hydrographic system. Marine transportation emissions have increased due to the rise in demand for maritime shipping, representing the most critical factor in the transportation sector impacting water quality. The latter is associated with oil spills, ballast waters, waste, and dredging (Rodrigue, 2020). Undeniably, vessels’ operations at ports or sea generate waste, which may contain a high level of bacteria, harming the marine ecosystem when released to the waters. Additionally, some garbage collecting plastic and metals are not biodegradable. The noise emanated from trains, aircrafts, and vehicles as well as operations of the rail yards, airports, and ports, can affect people and animal life. Rodrigue (2020) indicates that the irregular and chaotic sounds associated with the transportation sector increase the risks of cardiovascular ailments. Additionally, ambient noise caused by urban areas’ road transportation impairs property values and the quality of life. Thus, regulating the amount of noise released and water pollutants associated with various means of transportation can ensure a safe environment for humans and animals.
Impacts on Public Health
Pollution caused by transportation causes various health problems and deaths. Particulate matters cause such illnesses as cardiovascular diseases, respiratory problems, central nervous system and reproductive dysfunctions, and cancer when inhaled. Equally, different pollutants, including SO2, VOCs, NOx, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and dioxins, are harmful to humans. They increase risks for asthma, lung cancer, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cutaneous disease (Matz et al., 2019; Manisalidis et al., 2020). Others like carbon monoxide cause direct poisoning, and an individual inhales them at high levels. Moreover, heavy metals like lead are associated with chronic intoxication when absorbed into the body. Contaminated water noise pollution can also lead to various health problems. As a result, the healthcare system’s burden and the cost of treating conditions caused by transportation pollutants increase.
Conclusively, pollution caused by transportation has adverse impacts on the environment and public health. Tracks, cars, locomotives, buses, and airplanes powered by fossil fuels release pollutants throughout their lifecycle. They emit contaminants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and greenhouse gases, benzene and silicon tetrafluoride (SF6, lead (Pb), and other heavy metals. Development and implementation of policies to control pollution caused by transportation can guarantee a safe environment for both humans and animals.
References
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