Smog
A modern problem among the sky
What is Smog?
Smog is the combination of Smoke and Fog (hence the name, SMOG). This can be very dangerous to breathe in as it contains something called ozone. Ozone is a pollutant that when at high levels in the air, can harm living thing's heath when breathed in. Not all ozone is bad though. The ozone higher in the atmosphere is better as it acts as a shield from harmful UV radiation. The lower ozone closer to Earth's surface is bad and can be a pollutant that harms our health when breathed in. Smog is dirty and can be a hazy cloud that hangs around the Earth. It not only puts our health at risk, but the ecosystems around it too.
What Causes Smog?
Smog is caused by high pollution levels in the atmosphere and the release of such gases and chemicals. When pollutants are released into the atmosphere, They can form big hazy clouds we now know as smog. With the ozone layer growing (due to the release of pollution into the atmosphere making the ozone layer bigger and way dirtier with all the chemicals and pollution) and trapping more heat, it is now hotter and full of trapped gases. This is very unhealthy for anything that breathes it in now.
How can Smog affect health?
Smog can affect living things health for the worse when breathed in. It can do many things that can potentially damage body parts permanently. Some things Smog can do to you include...
- Irritates the respiratory system
- Reduces lung function and it's air capacity
- Destroy lining of lungs and inflame them
- It also can cause chronic lung diseases like bronchitis
With all these things that can be done and has been done, Smog is a serious issue and needs to be addressed soon or the future of our world and us might not be so great.
Solutions to Smog
Smog as you now may know is a big issue for our world as it can cause damage to our health and the atmosphere. But, we can try and prevent further damage done by the smog and the creating of more smog by using some new recent technologies. With new technologies like the Scrubbers and Baghouses, we can clear out pollutants and harmful gases from smoke pipes and try making them less toxic and recyclable. With new alternative energy sources such as the wind, solar, and nuclear, we are now able to produce energy way more cleaner than if we burned fossil fuels. Plus, these don't ruin our atmosphere when being utilized. With all these new ways to make cleaner energy and a less polluted atmosphere, we can see a better future ahead for our planet. But, the technology can't do all the work itself. We have to also pitch in by spreading awareness to others and trying new ways to conserve energy so we don't use lots of fossil fuels. Together, we have the power to clean up our atmosphere and preventing it from getting any worse. In doing thins, we are not only saving our planet's future, but ours.