Nitrogen Dioxide Pollution in Lancaster Dissertation

Nitrogen Dioxide Pollution in Lancaster - Dissertation Example Natural sources comprise only about 1% of the total emissions. With the increase in global warming around the world, incentives were undertaken to first create awareness and then to counter the causes of global warming and ozone depletion. United Nations took upon itself to encourage the respective governments of firstly the developed nations and then the developing ones. Similarly, the EU started funding researches and experiments to monitor the main causes of global warming, which were greenhouse gases, of which primarily, were oxides of nitrogen. The alarming statistics on the increase in NO2 concentration in U.K raised more urgent questions to be pondered over. What were the consequences of such high concentrations? Does it pose any immediate threat to the ecosystem in general and environment in particular? Hence researches and experiments were performed to delve further into the effects of the increased emissions of NO2 and our increasing dependence on non- renewable sources as our sole driving energy. The harmful effects, other than global warming, proved more concerning to the masses. The main effect on any individual exposed to high concentrations of NO2 was an increase in respiratory problems especially childhood asthma (Koenig 2003, p. 173). Child Health Study performed a research amongst children from 10 Californian communities using multiple indicators of exposure to NO2. The main indicator they made use of was traffic pollution in especially urban areas. The results proved that there was a co relation between the extent of exposure to NO2 and the occurrence of asthma or to the least, weasing amongst children. Further research explained this consensus (Ritz 2009). Nitrogen dioxide causes an inflammation in the lining of the lungs and reduces immunity to lung infections. This is exactly why children and aged people in particular are at high risk from exposure (Anzenbacher & Zanger 2012 p. 656). Not only does it cause lung problems but also increases the intensity of the nature of the illness. Other than health problems nitrogen dioxide is in itself, a potent threat to the ecosystem as well. Oxides of nitrogen promote ozone formation. It is a major contributor of acid rain and photochemical smog, both being very serious environment issues. Another major harmful effect of oxides of nitrogen is not in its gaseous form but in its element form (Inglezakis & Poulopoulos 2006, p. 22). Owing to the increasing agricultural industry, the use of fertilizers is inevitable. These nitrogenous fertilizers seep into the soil, only to be swept away by rains or flash floods into the nearby river, where the nitrogen boasts the algae population, thereby reducing the oxygen concentration. As a result all other vegetation and species of fish are fatally affected. Nitrogen dioxide reacts in the presence of air and ultraviolet light to form two very harmful compounds, ozone and nitrogen oxide. The NO then reacts with free radicals in atmosphere to pro duce NO2 again. Thus each molecule of NO2 has the ability to produce ozone molecules a lot of times. Also one molecule of NO2 has a very long lifetime because of its inability to absorb light photons. Ozone is an invisible gas with levels highest when it is warm. It also affects the lungs. Studies in animals claim that ozone damages the cells of lining the passages of the lungs, causing