The environment is everything affecting a living being and is especially important for people's living conditions and for society to thrive. It includes the set of natural, social and cultural values existing in a specific place and time that influence the lives of human beings and of future generations.
Article 45 of the Spanish constitution establishes "people's right to enjoy an environment in which they can develop and their duty to preserve it". The Spanish Government issued Law 26/2007, dated 23 October, on Environmental Responsability and later the partial development of this law (RD 2090/2008, dated 22 December).
On these issues, legal measures are being taken in Spain to address European Union Environmental regulations and to preventing and repairing environmental damage.
Among the diverse and many threats to the environment, this article will be touching on several points relating to atmospheric pollution, with particular attention to the area of Preventative Medicine.
Air is an indispensible component for life and its purity must be preserved so as not to upset the normal development of living things, or to damage humanity's natural and socio-cultural heritage.
Atmospheric contamination is defined as "the presence in the air of materials or forms of energy that involve risk, harm or serious concern for people and for goods of any kind".
When we talk about atmospheric pollution, we are talking about artificial contamination caused by mankind.
The atmosphere is essential for life, and changes in it have a serious effect on people, on otrher living things and for the entire planet. The atmosphere is actively involved in atmospheric pollution from the moment when the contaminants are injected.
A contaminant can be anything, a chemical compound or any type of natural or artificial material that can be suspended or carried in the air. It can be present as solid particles, liquid droplets, gases or any combination of these forms.
A contaminated atmosphere can harm people's health and affect plant and animal life. Changes occurring in the chemical composition of the atmosphere can also influence the climate, cause acid rain can destroy the ozone layer. These phenomena are all hugely important on a global scale.
Our activity, including the most and everyday actions, cause pollution. When we use electricity, transport, metals, plastic or paints; when we eat food, take medicines or use cleaning prodcuts; when we switch on the heating, cook food or boil water, etc., we directly or indirectly produce polluting substances.
Atmospheric pollution has notably increased in recent years and is one of the most serious problems facing humanity. It is not something restricted to certain places; the wind has made it a global problem.
The problem of atmospheric pollution arose around 200 years ago with the dawn of the industrial revolution. Today, exhaust from cars, industrial processes, heating systems and even cigarette smoke all contaminate the air we breath, causing a large proportion of the respiratory diseases found in large cities. The most vulnerable group are children, the elderly an people suffering from bronchial conditions and chronic respiratory problems.
The main source of carbon monoxide is from cars and is a threat to health because it reacts with haemoglobin in the blood, reducing its ability to transport oxygen to cells, causing hypoxia, sickness, fatigue, sleepingness, visual problems and even cardiac and respiratory conditions.
Nitrogen oxide and dioxide, which are released through exhaust pipes of cars burning fossil fuels, are involved in the formation of acid rain. This is formed when nitrogen and sulphur gases are mixed with water vapour forming sulphuric and nitric acids. Acid rain has a detrimental effect on soil and water.
Nitrogen oxides are also involved in the photochemical fog more popularly known as "smog". Smog irritates the eyes, causes breathing difficulties and damages trees and crops.
Many human actions are attacking the environment, many of them in an irreversible way. Our obligation is to do as much as we can to avoid them, not only for ourselves but also for future generations and for the survival of the human species. Each one of us must take steps to not continue contaminating the air, a crucial element for life.
Dr. D. Juan A. Andreo – ASSSA Medical Manager
The information published in this media neither substitutes nor complements in any way the direct supervision of a doctor, his diagnosis or the treatment that he may prescribe. It should also not be used for self-diagnosis.
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ASSSA advises you to always consult your doctor about any issue concerning your health.
