Air pollution affects more and more people today and this is very worrying, since it causes about 16.000 premature deaths a year in Spain. There are people who "do not see" pollution, yet we are continually breathing it.
On the other hand, there are more and more studies that corroborate the great damage that atmospheric pollution produces in ecosystems, reducing biodiversity and ending the reproductive capacity of birds. What do you do against pollution?
Atmospheric pollution
Although pollution rates in Spain have decreased (We know this because before there were 49 areas that exceeded the limits for suspended particles and now there are only four or five areas), not enough efforts are being made to reduce this danger to human health and ecosystems.
Air pollution harms human health and also the environment and is a problem of local, regional and international scope, but what is its origin and composition.
Sources of pollution
There are various sources that pollute, both natural and of human origin: consumption of fossil fuels to generate energy or transport; industrial processes; farming; waste treatment; and volcanic eruptions or windblown dust.
Depending on the origin of the pollution, one or another type of pollutant is generated in the atmosphere. Spanish cities have four main types of particles: suspended particles (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen oxide, ozone and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Depending on the time of year in which we are, some pollutants are more present and others more scarce. To have a clearer idea, right now, in this month of November, the particles that pollute the most and that are predominant are particles in suspension. These particles they are the most dangerous for humans, since they are capable of penetrating to our pulmonary alveoli.
The latest report from the European Environment Agency attributes to PM2.5 a total of 400.000 premature deaths per year in the 28 countries of the European Union; 16.000 deaths in Spain. 35% of the origin of these particles is in cars, 20% in industry and 15% in construction.
Pollution dispersion
Pollution has its own sources of dispersion. In other words, even though we are polluting, the particles do not always remain stable in the place of origin, but rather are dispersed throughout the places. This helps to reduce the amount of particles that affect us humans.
That dispersion comes from rain and wind. Now, the lack of rain also means that pollution is not so easily dispersed. In addition, there is also lack of wind and thermal inversion. Above all, it is because of this thermal inversion that it is nothing more and nothing less than an area in the troposphere where the temperature does not decrease due to height. This causes a plug to form that prevents air from rising and cleaning the atmosphere near the earth's surface.
Pollution depends not only on emissions, but also on meteorology. Obviously, if we do not emit gases there would be no pollution, but it is true that meteorology is responsible for air flows, rain, etc. And that helps to disperse pollution from places where there is a higher concentration.
If the episodes of drought caused by climate change or heat waves increase ozone is expected to increase. Ozone on the surface causes skin damage and respiratory problems. Ozone is only our ally when it is found in the stratosphere in the so-called "ozone layer".
However, he remarks that in recent years Spain has made much progress in general in reducing pollution; less in the nitrogen oxide section where, although levels have been reduced by 30% in Madrid or Barcelona, The legislation is still not being complied with: it is no longer enough to reduce the emissions produced by cars, but what needs to be reduced is directly their number.
As you can see, there are still many efforts to achieve.