陳育瑭 (Textile)

Air and Pollution

Air is the ocean we breathe. Air is the thing that we cannot live without it. Air supplies us with oxygen which is essential for our bodies to live. Air is 99.9% nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor and inert gases. We human not only must breathe air but also can release substances into the air, some of which can cause problems for humans, plants, and animals, especially our improper activities.

When people think about air pollution, they usually think about smog, acid rain, CFC's, and other forms of outdoor air pollution. But did you know that air pollution also can exist inside homes and other buildings? It can, and every year, the health of many people is affected by chemical substances present in the air within buildings. A great deal of research on pollution is being conducted at laboratories and universities. The goals of the research are to find out the solutions and to educate the public about the problem.

There are several main types of pollution and well-known effects of pollution which are commonly discussed. These include smog, acid rain, the greenhouse effect, and "holes" in the ozone layer. Each of these problems has serious implications for our health and well-being as well as for the whole environment. Air pollution can affect our health in many ways with both short-term and long-term effects. Different groups of people are affected by air pollution in different ways. Some people are much more sensitive to pollutants than others. Young children and elderly people suffer more from the effects of air pollution. Also, people with health problems such as asthma, heart and lung disease may suffer more when the air is polluted. The extent to which an individual is harmed by air pollution usually depends on the total exposure to the damaging chemicals, i.e. the duration of exposure. Besides, the concentration of the chemicals must be taken into account.

However, with the air pollution getting worse and worse, how can we improve the damage caused by it? One is to reduce the release of polluted air; the another is to make good prevention. In many countries in the world, steps are being taken to stop the damage to our environment from air pollution. Scientific groups study the damaging effects on plant, animal and human life. Legislative bodies write laws to control emissions. Educators in schools and universities teach students, beginning at very young ages, about the effects of air pollution.

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