Pollution

Do not pollute your environment!

Nowadays the society has to face up to a lot of problems. Among them the pollution is one of the most popular topics. People generally don't think of it that they injure their environment with almost every action and this carries consequences. With few exceptions they can be solved. There are several ways of the environmental pollution. The most frequent question is the air pollution because the different gases appear everywhere: in the most beautiful countries, in villages, but to the highest degree in cities. The biggest danger is caused by cars and factories which can be found on the outskirts of cities. These factories many times don't use filters that can reduce the quantity of the poison-gases, which get into the air, besides often they are responsible for the water pollution.[1] They have the dirty water run into the oceans, seas and rivers. The other factor is the oil. It gets into the water by crashes of oil-tankers or sometimes if a submarine pipeline become damaged. It can cause gigantic damage, because removing the oil is often impossible. Unfortunately, these problems are less avoidable, but at least we should pay attention to those which might be fended off considerably. One of them is the pollution of soil. It would be prevented somehow or other if the waste was carried to the suitable rubbish dump. But there are troubles with some things which don't decay but their components make the soil acid. For example the refrigerator, batteries and the plastic which remains in the soil in good condition 500 hundred years later, too.[2] Frequently the agriculture is also responsible because they use too much chemicals. The different artificial fertilizers (nitrogenous, phosphates, ammoniums) dissolve in water and nitrates and so on arise from them.[3] Although, these seem to be far-away from us, nevertheless they are close because we pollute our direct environment, too. You can make sure if you are walking in the streets or travelling somewhere by car, because you can find chocolate papers and bottles near the roads and pavements. There are numeral harmful things in a household, too. If you use the gas cooker or the different kinds of aerosols, dioxides get into the air, but the smoking isn't either negligible. And the most waste materials derive from the houses and flats. These factors make an impression on each other. The result of the smoke and gases is that the rain becomes acid through the soil it gets into the subsoil, and after that into the drinking-water. But beside the rain, chemicals and poisonous liquids take part in the previous process as well. And there are some plants which can preserve the nitrates which are from the wet soil. For example potato and medic. So in essence the animals eat the poisoned plant and then we eat them. In this way through the chain of nourishment the most damaging things made by the society, get back into the human organism. As we see, the circulation affects the living world and it also results in geographical changes, too. The changes of the atmospheric conditions are influenced especially by the chlorine, the sulfur dioxide, and the carbon dioxide. In experts opinion it will increase the temperature with 2-5 (C in 80-100 years which will lead to the melt of the icebergs.[4] If it ensues, the extension of waters will be larger and it will overflow big areas, so agricultural lands and habitable areas will be destroyed and people will have to count on big flood dangers, too. The most concerned are these countries which lies near the oceans or under the sea-level (for example the Netherlands). In this manner, millions of people will lose their home. And we should think of our health! The smog in the streets and the cigarette smoke cause lung cancer and diminish the thickness of the ozone layer. In some countries there are many people who hide their mouth and nose in order not to breathe in the polluted air. Nowadays there are more and more people who suffer from skin cancer because of the increased ultraviolet radiation. The most concerned continent is Australia but this problem is found everywhere in the world. Mainly the dioxide can be call to account because of the formation of other malignant tumors. And among them there are only some which are curable. Fortunately, the dirty water means immediate danger only in some underdeveloped countries. For example in India, where there aren't enough drains, the streets are dirty and so the risk of infectious diseases is much bigger. The pollution of natural waters influence the balance of the water living world. In a number of cases we can hear about destructions of fish because they eat the poisoned plants, drink the oiled water, or they can eat other ill animals. These harmful things are absorbed and remain in their organism. It is true for every animals overland, too. Most of all, domestic animals are affected because there is medic among the fodders that they are given to eat, and the nitrates in it result in changes in hemoglobin.[5] In plant kingdom there are less glaring effects unless the ruin of plants. The acid rain causes metabolism troubles, in this way the average crop decrease. We often can see trees near the busiest roads which drop their leaves because they don't get enough nutrient and the concentration of gases is very high, or dust is deposited on the leaves, so they can't get oxygen and perish for it.

Some of these problems can be solved. Chiefly young people join to environmentalist organizations which fight for a good cause. They give lectures and organize exhibitions where we can see terrible films and photos about the dying Earth. We can view and try the new things which have been developed. These are very good because their use is economical, and we take care of our environment. But if we can hear news of a car which is operated by water, everybody will be happy. If we travelled by public transports which operates by electricity, instead of cars, we could save up and do something for our health. There should be more developments but they mean problems because of the money. Factories should replace the old machines and they should develop new technologies which don't increase the sulfur dioxide in the air. It would be another sollution if they put into practice alternative source of energy (wind, water, etc.). The agriculture should use chemicals that are wiped out in some days without side-effects or should use these kinds that are made from natural things. Older people used to make spray insecticide from nettle and it was very effective. There can be used manure or compost instead of artificial fertilizers. The most possibilities are for the recycling of waste but it is still in its infancy, because it usually needs special procedures. If we take back the empty bottles to the shops the factories can refill or melt them down. The rubble of glass is used for road construction and in the building industry. The paper industry makes paper from textile-waste and waste-paper. The wastes coming from the food industry can be given to animals as feed. Beside them there are a lot of unexploited opportunities. If you don't throw away anything in the streets, you can say, you have done something for your environment. But it isn't everything! You must pay attention for the other things, too. But if you don't care of yourself, think of your descendants, because they will suffer because of your irresponsibility. The choices are given, you have only to make the best of them.
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[1] Kiss Ferenc, Füstköd (Nyíregyháza, November 1998)
[2] A zacskó és a többiek (November 1998)
[3] Ferenc Kiss, Környezettudományi alapismeretek (Nyíregyháza, 1998), p. 52.
[4] Ibid., pp. 67.
[5] Spektrum channel, Ember és természet (December 1998)