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Showing posts with the label Air Pollution

Fact Sheet about Dangers Arising from Air Pollution in Kenya

Photo : Horrible Air Pollution in Bangok Air pollution in Kenya has been on the rise in the recent past. City dwellers are among the most affected people as they are at a higher risk of exposure to toxic industrial wastes that are released to the atmosphere.  The rate of pollution is rampant in major towns in the country leading to increased respiratory infection, lung cancer, stroke and heart diseases among other pollution-related ailments. Statistically, most of those individuals who suffer from pollution-related ailments reside in major towns. Apart from air, environmental pollution in Kenya has direct effects on water, soil and vegetation. According to World Health Organization (WHO) , air pollution kills approximately 7 million people globally every year.  According to a research conducted by the State of the Global Air in 2019, air pollution in Kenya has a risk factor of claiming close to 19,000 people every year. Among the fatalities, 5,000 are due to ambient air

Carbon dioxide to Make Jet Fuel, Study Reveals

Photo Source: twitter.com Aircrafts release a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which contributes to climate change. A research that was conducted by Science News and reported on December, 22 2020 stated that there was a new iron-based catalyst that has been invented to convert carbon dioxide into jet fuel. It is only a matter of time that carbon dioxide pumped to the atmosphere by planes could be sucked and used to power the same. The air travel’s footprint in carbon emissions could be tremendously curtailed, if the carbon dioxide that is released is recycled to generate fuel. As per Science News reports, Air transport contributes to about 12 percent of the entire transportation carbon-related emissions. Unlike cars, aircrafts cannot carry bigger batteries which can be run on electricity generated from wind or solar panels. The current breakthrough in the conversion of carbon dioxide to fuel involves cheap ingredients such as iron and transformed through a single s

Wood flames harmful to elderly and children, research warns

Tiny particles produced by wood burners triple the level of harmful particles inside a room. According to scientists, elderly people and children should be advised not to sit in rooms filled with particles emitted by burners. The tiny particles are linked to numerous health damages particularly to people whose immune systems are compromised. Younger and older people normally have weak immune system and the particles can result to long-term health complications when inhaled. According to the Guardian, the research was conducted in 19 homes located in Sheffield in the United Kingdom (UK). The samples used were wood burners that had the government certification of “smoke exempt appliances.” The experiment was done using dry wood that produce less smoke. Studies indicate that about 40 percent of outdoor air pollution emanates from wood and coal burning. However, the new study is among the first to test indoor pollution based on real-time analysis. The research further revealed

How Wildfire Endangers Human Life as a Possible infectious Agent

Wildfire has wreaked havoc in various parts of the world with Australia, Brazil and the United States being the sufferers. According to research conducted by the science journal, wildfire poses a great threat to human life. Humans are advised not to inhale smoke produced by bushfire in order to avoid complications related to respiratory diseases.  A report published by the Science Magazine on December 18, indicate that exposure to smoke produced by wildfire increases the risk to conduct inflammatory diseases and respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and asthma. Wildfire is the major source of bio aerosols which is composed of fungi and bacteria whose metabolic by-products are responsible for causing infections to human beings. The research conducted by scientists further found out that the Pyrogenic carbon formed as a result of wildfire acts as a temporary storage for soil microbes that contribute to the attenuation of ultraviolet-B by 80 percent. Scientists argue that sm