Question

Why has pollution gotten worse in the world over the past 50 years?

Answer 1

pollution occurs when harmful or excessive quantities of substances are introduced into Earth's atmosphere. Sources of air pollution include gases (such as ammonia, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, methane and chlorofluorocarbons), particulates (both organic and inorganic), and biological molecules. It may cause diseases, allergies and even death to humans; it may also cause harm to other living organisms such as animals and food crops, and may damage the natural or built environment. Both human activity and natural processes can generate air pollution.

Air pollution is a significant risk factor for a number of pollution-related diseases, including respiratory infections, heart disease, COPD, stroke and lung cancer.The human health effects of poor air quality are far reaching, but principally affect the body's respiratory system and the cardiovascular system. Individual reactions to air pollutants depend on the type of pollutant a person is exposed to, the degree of exposure, and the individual's health status and genetics.Indoor air pollution and poor urban air quality are listed as two of the world's worst toxic pollution problems in the 2008 Blacksmith Institute World's Worst Polluted Places report Outdoor air pollution alone causes 2.1 to 4.21 million deaths annually.Overall, air pollution causes the deaths of around 7 million people worldwide each year, and is the world's largest single environmental health risk.

Productivity losses and degraded quality of life caused by air pollution are estimated to cost the world economy $5 trillion per year Various pollution control technologies and strategies are available to reduce air pollution.

pollution is not a new problem – in fact, experts now know humans have been responsible for an increase in pollutants for at least 2,100 years. By extracting layers of ice which have accumulated in Greenland over many millennia and analysing the methane trapped within them, scientists have been able to link increased levels with activity we know civilisations such as the Ancient Romans and the Han Dynasty in China were undertaking at the time.

Despite humans being aware of pollution for many decades (and having caused it for many more), our knowledge has grown exponentially over the last 50 years. So too have the efforts to reverse the trend by environmental groups, scientists, Governments and world leaders. Since Filtermist first began producing oil mist filters to help workplaces reduce their emissions in 1969, we have seen huge developments – but there are still regions of the world where pollution levels are increasing far above those acceptable as set down by legislation, and there are still individuals and employers who don’t comprehend the full scale of the problem and the negative impacts of pollutants like oil mist and dust.

Air pollution is defined as a ‘mix of particles and gases that can reach harmful concentrations both inside and outside’ – excess pollution has an impact on the environment (including contributing to rising temperatures across the globe) and humans too: through diseases caused by poor air quality. Hundreds of thousands of deaths each year are attributed to pollutants.

In this guide, we take a look at how emission levels, our knowledge and the regulations have changed in the past 50 years since Filtermist launched – and what could happen in the future if they are not reversed.

Emissions over the years:

There are many different substances which class as air pollution when released into the atmosphere, including carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and particulate matter (PM). The latter has been the primary concern of Filtermist since its inception 50 years ago, given this category includes oil mist particles which can be emitted as a by-product of various metal machining processes across multiple industries. PM can be divided into categories depending on the size of each individual particle: PM10 comprises of particles less than 10µm which can enter the lungs when inhaled, while PM2.5 can permeate the gas-exchange regions of the lungs and enter into the blood stream.

Since the 1970s, the majority of countries have seen a decline in exposure to PM2.5, at least partially thanks to stricter regulations. But countries including India, China and Greece have all seen an increase3. In the UK, emissions have dropped significantly from 639,000 tonnes of PM10 and 498,000 tonnes of PM2.5 each year to 169,000 and 106,000 respectively.

In America, fewer than 20 per cent of city residents are exposed to PM10 and PM2.5 levels above the WHO Air Quality Guidelines. In higher-income countries in Europe, more than 60 per cent are exposed to higher levels, rising to more than 90 per cent when we look at lower- and middle-income European countries. However, the situation is worse in the Eastern Mediterranean, Africa, South-East Asia, and lower- and middle-income countries in the Western Pacific where between 95 and 100 per cent of cities are exposed to these above-guideline levels.

It’s not just a minor problem either, some of the cities are exposed to levels between six and ten times what the guidelines advise is acceptable.

Levels have undoubtedly risen over the past 50 years, even when comparing data from a much shorter period (2008 to 2013) there is an eight per cent rise in annual mean concentrations of PM2.5. While high-income regions have seen a decrease, there has been a marked increase in pollution levels in low and medium-income regions.

Regulations:

In the late 60s there was very little in the way of regulation in the UK, until the Health and Safety at Work Act was passed in 1974, followed by the introduction of the Health and Safety Executive. Now employers are required to comply with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, as well as EU IPPC (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control 2008).

The worldwide Gothenburg Protocol was introduced in 1999, providing comprehensive guidance including control techniques relating to different types of emissions. The National Emissions Ceiling Directive was first introduced in 2001 – under both of these regulations, the UK Government has been working to cut PM2.5 emissions by 30 per cent between 2005 and 2020.

There are various bodies across the world which regulate oil mist and dust emissions as well as other pollutants – these include CARSAT in France (representatives visit companies to raise awareness of air quality and recommend system installations), Germany’s professional association Berufsgenossenschaft (who issue advice and check employers are sticking to emission limits – businesses are required to reduce emissions as far as technology will allow) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies in Italy (whose regulations are used as a reference, but are not actually legally enforceable). In the USA, each state sets its own limits, but there are three separate organisations which provide guidance (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the US Department of Labour, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health).

Global warming:

Global warming - or climate change - is also not a new phenomenon. Looking at the average temperatures for the 20th century, there was already evidence of it occurring in the early 1940s. But since the 80s, the problem has escalated.

Links have been made between the causes of air pollution and global warming: namely, human activity. Scientists from across the world working as part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have been instrumental in researching these links. In 2013 their fifth report stated they were 95 per cent certain human activity (such as industrial emissions) was the cause of the planet getting warmer over the last 50 years.

Disease and morbidity:

The number of people diagnosed with diseases attributable to air pollution has risen dramatically in the last five decades. This is partly due to more understanding about the types of illnesses that can be caused by pollutants, partly because increased medical knowledge leads to better detective rates, but also sadly because of the rise in air pollution in certain regions of the globe.

Conditions affecting the lungs are most closely linked with poor air quality, given the obvious impact of breathing in harmful pollutants. It’s now estimated that more than 65 million people have moderate or severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) which can be caused by oil mist and dust in the workplace, and other pollutants detected in either indoor or outdoor environments. COPD can also be caused by smoking – although in the US alone it’s estimated up to 20 per cent of those with COPD have never smoked10. Currently, more research is being undertaken to identify other causes such as genetic conditions, as well as exploring the extent of the impact of occupational exposure to pollutants (including oil mist, dust and fume) on the rates of diagnosis.

The number of people diagnosed with COPD globally rose by 44.2 per cent between 1990 and 2015 and experts predict this rate will continue to rise over the next 50 years too, given there is no known cure. In fact, it’s predicted by 2030 the condition will be the third leading cause of death worldwide, outranked only by ischaemic heart disease and strokes.

In previous decades, not enough was known about the links between air pollution and morbidity, but new research takes into account the fact that pollutants cause cardiovascular problems as well as respiratory issues. This means experts now estimate 800,000 deaths are caused by pollutants each year in Europe alone.

The Future:

There has been a wealth of new legislation and guidance introduced in the last 50 years, and experts have amassed extensive further knowledge about the scale of the problem of air pollution. This can only be good news as the more we know, the more everyone is able to work to tackle the issue – from Governments joining together to issue global protocols, to individual business owners fitting oil mist and dust extraction units to their machinery to safeguard their employees’ future health.

And yet as we look forward to the next 50 years, it’s clear much more needs to be done to slow down the amount of pollutants we breathe day in, day out, inside and outdoors.

If we don’t take action, it’s expected 3.6 million people a year will die as a result of PM emissions by 2050. By the end of the century, the world is predicted to be at least four degrees warmer than it was pre-industrialisation – and that trend will only continue if we don’t curb the amount of air pollution humans are producing, and are exposed to.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Clean Air Act, which is responsible for dramatic improvements in air quality. Despite this, a new report from the American Lung Association finds nearly half of the nation's population -- 150 million people -- lived with and breathed polluted air, placing their health and lives at risk. The 21st annual "State of the Air" report finds that climate change continues to make air pollution worse, with many western communities again experiencing record-breaking spikes in particle pollution due to wildfires. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of air pollution on lung health is of heightened concern.

The 2020 "State of the Air" report analyzed data from 2016, 2017 and 2018, the three years with the most recent quality-assured air pollution data. Notably, those three years were among the five hottest recorded in global history. When it comes to air quality, changing climate patterns fuel wildfires and their dangerous smoke, and lead to worsened particle and ozone pollution. This degraded air quality threatens everyone, especially children, older adults and people living with a lung disease.

"The report finds the air quality in some communities has improved, but the 'State of the Air' finds that far too many people are still breathing unhealthy air," said American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer. "This year's report shows that climate change continues to degrade air quality and increase the risk of air pollution harming health. To protect the advances in air quality we fought for 50 years ago through the Clean Air Act, we must again act today, implementing effective policies to protect our air quality and lung health against the threat of climate change."

"Air pollution is linked to greater risk of lung infection," Wimmer added. "Protecting everyone from COVID-19 and other lung infections is an urgent reminder of the importance of clean air."

Each year, "State of the Air" reports on the two most widespread outdoor air pollutants, ozone pollution and particle pollution. Each is dangerous to public health and can be lethal. The 2020 "State of the Air" report found that more than 20.8 million people lived in counties that had unhealthy levels of air pollution in all categories from 2016 to 2018. Below are the report findings for each category graded.

Particle Pollution

Unhealthy particles in the air come from wildfires, wood-burning stoves, coal-fired power plants, diesel engines and other sources. Particle pollution can be deadly. Technically known as PM2.5, these microscopic particles lodge deep in the lungs and can even enter the bloodstream. Particle pollution can trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes and cause lung cancer. New research also links air pollution to the development of serious diseases, such as asthma and dementia.

The report has two grades for particle pollution: one for "short-term" particle pollution, or daily spikes, and one for the annual average, "year-round" level that represents the concentration of particles day-in and day-out in each location.

Short-Term Particle Pollution

More cities experienced more days with spikes in particle pollution in this year's report. In fact, nine western cities reached their most days ever reported. These deadly spikes were driven in large part by smoke from major wildfires in 2018, especially in California, and some locations also saw spikes from woodsmoke from heating homes. Of note, 24 of the 25 most polluted cities were located in the western region of the U.S. Nationwide, more than 53.3 million people experienced these unhealthy spikes in particle pollution.

Top 10 U.S. Cities Most Polluted by Short-term Particle Pollution (24-hour PM2.5):

• 1. Fresno-Madera-Hanford, California

  2. Bakersfield, California

  3. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, California

  4. Fairbanks, Alaska

  5. Yakima, Washington

  6. Los Angeles-Long Beach, California

  7. Missoula, Montana

  8. Redding-Red Bluff, California

  9. Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, Utah

  10. Phoenix-Mesa, Arizona

Year-Round Particle Pollution

More than 21.2 million people lived in counties with unhealthy levels of year-round particle pollution, which is more than in the last three "State of the Air" reports. Progress toward healthy air continued in many places thanks to steps taken to clean up emissions that lead to particle pollution, but 13 of the 26 most polluted cities faced worse levels of year-round particle pollution. Some cities had so many days of short-term particle pollution spikes that the sheer number led to them having higher annual averages as well.

Many cities experienced their cleanest ever annual average, yet remained on the nation's most polluted list. Despite making the top 10 most polluted list, both Fresno-Madera-Hanford, California and Pittsburgh metro area tied with their previous record of cleanest air in the 21-year history of the report. And while Chicago, Cincinnati and Indianapolis made the top 25 most polluted list, each hit their cleanest ever annual average