HSC3002 Project Due 48 3 Pages Please Include References

Hsc3002 Project Due 48 3pgs Please Include References Please No

Conduct research on the topic, "Various Health Hazards Caused by Water and Air Pollution." · What are the hazardous substances that may be found in drinking water and what are their impacts on our health? · Describe how water is made safe for human consumption. · Epidemiologic analyses have demonstrated a correlation between an increase in total daily mortality and an increase in air pollution. Provide examples to explain how historically significant fatal air pollution episodes (that were characterized by extreme increases in air pollution) lead to increase in mortality. · Describe how greenhouse gases contribute to the greenhouse effect. · Explain the term "global warming" and present arguments in favor of and against the proposition that global warming has occurred during the past century. What environmental outcomes have been attributed to global warming?

Paper For Above instruction

Water and air are fundamental elements essential for sustaining life on Earth. However, pollution of these resources poses significant health hazards, necessitating comprehensive understanding and mitigation strategies. This paper explores the health hazards caused by water and air pollution, focusing on hazardous substances in drinking water, methods to ensure water safety, historical pollution episodes, the greenhouse effect, and the debate surrounding global warming.

Hazardous Substances in Drinking Water and Their Health Impacts

Drinking water can be contaminated with various hazardous substances, including biological, chemical, and radiological contaminants. Biological hazards include pathogens such as bacteria (e.g., Escherichia coli), viruses, and protozoa, which can cause gastrointestinal illnesses, cholera, dysentery, and hepatitis A. Chemical contaminants include heavy metals like lead, mercury, arsenic, and pesticides. Lead exposure, for instance, is associated with neurodevelopmental deficits in children, anemia, and hypertension in adults. Arsenic in water has been linked to skin lesions and increased risk of cancers such as skin, bladder, and lung cancers. Pesticides like atrazine and glyphosate can disrupt endocrine functions and cause reproductive issues. Radiological contaminants, such as uranium and radon, pose carcinogenic risks.

The impact of these substances on human health varies with concentration, duration of exposure, and individual susceptibility. Chronic exposure to low levels of contaminants can lead to long-term health issues, including neurological disorders, cancers, and developmental delays, especially in vulnerable populations like children and pregnant women.

Ensuring Water Safety for Human Consumption

Making water safe for human consumption involves multiple treatment processes. The initial step is source water protection, which minimizes contamination at the source. Conventional treatment includes coagulation and flocculation to remove suspended solids, sedimentation to settle out particulate matter, filtration to remove remaining impurities, and disinfection, typically using chlorine, chloramines, or ultraviolet light, to eradicate pathogenic microorganisms. Advanced treatments such as reverse osmosis, activated carbon filtration, and UV irradiation may be employed to remove specific contaminants like heavy metals and pesticides. Continuous monitoring of water quality parameters like pH, turbidity, and microbial presence ensures safety standards are maintained. Regulatory bodies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S., establish permissible limits for various contaminants to safeguard public health.

Historical Episodes of Fatal Air Pollution and Increased Mortality

Historically significant air pollution episodes have resulted in sharp increases in mortality. The Great Smog of London in 1952 is a prominent example, where a dense fog combined with air pollution from coal combustion caused an estimated 4,000 deaths over five days, mainly due to respiratory and cardiovascular failure. Similarly, the Donora smog of 1948 in Pennsylvania resulted in 20 deaths and thousands suffering from respiratory illnesses. These episodes underscore the acute health hazards posed by high levels of airborne pollutants such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter (PM), and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Epidemiologic studies have established a correlation between increased air pollution episodes and rises in hospital admissions, cardiovascular events, and mortality rates, emphasizing the need for stringent air quality control measures.

Contribution of Greenhouse Gases to the Greenhouse Effect

Greenhouse gases (GHGs), including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gases, trap infrared radiation emitted from Earth's surface, leading to the greenhouse effect. These gases allow incoming solar radiation to reach the Earth's surface but impede the escape of outgoing infrared radiation, resulting in warming of the atmosphere. Human activities, particularly fossil fuel combustion, deforestation, and agriculture, have significantly increased concentrations of these gases since the Industrial Revolution, amplifying the natural greenhouse effect.

The enhanced greenhouse effect contributes to global climate change, affecting weather patterns, sea levels, and ecosystems. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) attributes recent global temperature rises primarily to increased GHG concentrations driven by anthropogenic activities.

Global Warming: Definitions, Evidence, and Environmental Outcomes

Global warming refers to the long-term rise in Earth's average surface temperature due to increased concentrations of greenhouse gases. Scientific consensus supports the occurrence of global warming during the past century, supported by multiple lines of evidence, including rising temperature records, shrinking glaciers, melting ice caps, and rising sea levels. Climate models project continued warming if GHG emissions are not curtailed, leading to severe environmental consequences such as intensified heatwaves, more frequent and severe storms, droughts, and disruption of ecosystems.

Arguments in favor of global warming include consistent observational data, attribution studies linking GHG emissions and temperature rise, and predictive climate models. Conversely, skeptics argue that natural variability, solar activity, and other factors also influence climate, and some claim that historical temperature changes precede GHG increases.

Environmental outcomes linked to global warming encompass loss of biodiversity, alteration of habitats, desertification, and increased frequency of extreme weather events, threatening both natural ecosystems and human societies.

Conclusion

Addressing health hazards caused by water and air pollution requires comprehensive strategies including pollution control, sustainable development, and environmental regulation. Recognizing the impacts of greenhouse gases on climate change underscores the importance of global cooperation to reduce GHG emissions. Continued research, public awareness, and policy interventions are essential to mitigate these environmental challenges and protect public health for future generations.

References

• World Health Organization. (2017). Drinking-water. WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water
• US Environmental Protection Agency. (2021). Water Quality Standards. EPA.gov. https://www.epa.gov/wqs-tech
• Landrigan, P. J., & Sly, P. D. (2014). Air pollution and health. The Lancet, 383(9930), 2094–2096.
• Dockery, D. W., & Pope, C. A. (1994). Acute health effects of particulate air pollution. Annual Review of Public Health, 15, 107–132.
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2023). Climate Change 2023: The Scientific Basis. IPCC Report.
• IPCC. (2014). Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. IPCC WGII Report.
• Seinfeld, J. H., & Pandis, S. N. (2016). Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change. John Wiley & Sons.
• Hansen, J., Sato, M., Ruedy, R., et al. (2010). Global surface temperature change. Reviews of Geophysics, 48(4).
• National Research Council. (2010). Severe Thunderstorm, Tornado, and Hail Research: A Review. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
• Gore, A. (2006). An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It. Rodale Books.