This news article is a production distributed through Caribbean News Service. It is made freely available to your media and we encourage publishing and redistribution, giving credit to Caribbean News Service (CNS).
By Tyrell Gittens – CNS Contributor
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Apr 10 2016 – Sit for a second and take a deep breath. Inhale and exhale gently. Wasn’t the refreshing?
Do you know what’s not refreshing? The air you just inhaled.
The quality of the Earth’s air is in a constant state of depreciation stemming from the burning of waste products, factory emissions and motor vehicle exhaust, to name a few activities. While the effects of air pollution on human health may appear black and white, the causes of these effects are in fact more complicated and there are many grey areas that may not be visible to the human eyes.
For instance, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its findings have linked the Earth’s warming temperatures originating from climate change to respiratory ailments. EPA studies have attributed an increase in the number of days with unacceptable levels of ground-level ozone to the Earth’s warming temperatures. Exposure to high concentrations of ground-level ozone can result in the gradual damage of a person’s lung tissue which can consequently affect lung functions. Increased ground-level ozone can potentially affect the 300 million persons around the world living with asthma as it has been shown to aggravate the ailment.
Air pollution does not only result in respiratory ailments which is usually the main concern. Air pollution can indirectly increase the likelihood of skin cancer. CFCs which are abundant sources of air pollutants, depletes the ozone layer which subsequently leads to a great amount of UV Rays (a causative agent of skin cancer) reaching the earth.
To further understand the far reaching effects of air pollution, the health of coral reefs in the Caribbean is in danger. A 2013 European Commission report investigated the effects of anthropogenic aerosol emissions on coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean. This report observed that periods of slow coral growth in Panama, Belize and other parts of the Caribbean were due to aerosols in the air from pollution. As we look for reasons to explain this unfortunate event, let us not forget that Trinidad and Tobago is the second highest per capita producer of air greenhouse gases globally.
Now that you have read some of these alarming facts don’t lose breath. Inhale and exhale because there are things we can do to “break free” from this silent health crisis. We can reduce Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide emissions by carpooling and reducing excessive energy consumption. For persons who engage in the incineration of waste behind their house, you may want to stop! Burning plastics and other waste products releases toxic dioxins into the air. Finally oil dependent nations such as Trinidad and Tobago need to divest and break free from their fossil fuel usage and look into clean, alternative energy sources.
