Environmental Issues

Module 1
The most hot-burning issue in this world after terrorism is of environmental concerns which involve global warming and extinction of plants and natural habitats. Countries seem to be conducting conferences and setting agendas for the development of measures to be taken in order to avoid the unwanted consequences of environmental pollution. The paper would discuss the types of improper trash or waste disposal practices, the human health problems and environmental concerns raised by such inappropriate practices, followed by an example and conclusion.

Waste is disposed off from various sources such as, Agriculture, Mining, Industry, and Municipal. Agricultural wastes involve the disposing off of manure, pruning, harvest residue, and run-off of used water whereas, in mining and industry, the wastes are disposed off in terms of water-pollution or residue thrown into rivers, dumping of waste products, open burning, and huge junkyards (gdrc.org, n.d). But lets focus on the wastes from Municipal source. Municipal waste is generally disposed of in three distinct manners  Landfills, Incineration, and Recycling.

Landfills is a very common type of disposing wastes these days, where the trash or garbage is taken to a site and disposed off or buried there. The surrounding environment that includes air, farms, and water, is actually detached from the landfill points for ensuring maximum protection.  Cities allocate several places where the city council can cope with tons of garbage produced each day. Incineration is another form of disposing wastes and polluting the environment. It usually involves the burning of all the garbage that has been gathered at a certain place in order to get rid of it completely. And finally, Recycling is another waste management technique where the used or abandoned products or materials are processed to create new products or raw materials.

Human Health Problems
Of course getting rid of the waste is easy but there are several environmental and human health concerns that are raised as a result of it. Incineration of waste material exhibits different types of toxic air pollutants such as, cadmium, sulfur dioxide, lead, nitrogen oxide, and mercury that are very harmful and contaminate the air (oppapers.com, 2010). Acid rains and smog are the by-products of incineration that dont only pollute the atmosphere but also the lands that are used for agricultural purposes.

Its of no wonder that if the wastes  either solid or liquid  are dumped improperly to any place results in the growth of mosquitoes that carry dengue fever virus, which has a domino effect of malaria and headache. Dengue fever has around 23 strains that worsen the health of the victim for several weeks or even months. On the other hand, sewage contamination worsens the water quality of the rivers or other reservoirs from where the water is supplied to the citizens. Over drinking such water, people became the victims of Diarrhea and other stomach problems moreover, these diseases further deteriorate the skin of a person and causes skin cancer. Droughts or famines come when the landfills and acid rains make the soil infertile and incapable for the use of agricultural purposes. Not only this, along with human beings, the marine life and other animal species are vulnerable to our reckless waste disposal. Dumping of oil, liquid wastes, and throwing off of several other materials and wastes into the rivers and sea causes the marine life to extinct.

As in the case of Chevron, previously known as Texaco, where the company dumped off huge amounts of solid and liquid wastes into the Amazon River which later resulted in the proliferation of several diseases for human beings along with other marine species. Considerable number of people and animals died as a result of it.

The area where I reside in is vulnerable to the spread of diseases and can easily be overwhelmed by mosquitoes dengue fever, diarrhea, and other diseases if the solid and liquid waste is improperly disposed off here. Also, the city in which I live in is a populated one so the impact would be very severe because the diseases would spread in no time.

Conclusion
The issue of environmental pollution and human health is of worth significance and must be controlled by adapting suitable and effective measures before it gets too late. Many countries lack the proper way of recycling and disposing off of waste materials due to which the pollution  whether water or air  is rising and harming us from manifold ways. Landfills and burning out of the garbage seriously impacts the fertility of the land and air quality negatively, which in turn further creates a chain reaction until our and other animals health is affected. Although the governments have established several rules, laws and regulations for the companies and as well as the citizens that are directed to inhibit the increasing pollution, but the problems is with the proper implementation and abiding of such laws. The problem of waste management is tough to overcome, but it is not impossible.