Air pollution is taking its toll on Indian cities. “A study put out November 30th, 2013 by Tel Aviv University reports that Indian mega-cities are seeing a faster increase in pollution than the cities in the classic environmental villain to the east, China.” It is stated by the university that the air pollution in India is getting to the point that it is being compared to China, one of the most polluted places on the planet. According to experts, Bangalore saw the second highest increase in air-pollution levels in the world at 34%. Other cities such as Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, and Ahmedabad found increases over 10% as well. Many hypothesize that the growing air pollution corresponds with India’s overwhelmingly large population. This leads to another issue. India’s future will not be very bright either. It most certainly will get worse before the pollution levels are better. Since the population is growing rapidly, that leads people to believe that air pollution rates in India are in fact going to exceed China in the next decade.
Dangerous weather conditions such a acid rain and smog have created hazards for Indian citizens. Acid rain contains hydrogen ions, which can damage trees, crops, harm marine animals and destroy metals. Sometimes the damage that is done from acid rain can be devastating. Smog causes harmful health effects in humans and animals. Studies have shown signs of black lung disease in dolphins of due to high concentrations of carbon particles in the air. The effects of smog can be irreversible, impacting someone's future health greatly. Unfortunately, aside from strange yet dangerous weather, frequent exposure to polluted air increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. This restricts many Indians from exercising, since that's when air consumption is used more rapidly. Breathing air that is filled with small particles can increase the chance of getting hardening of the arteries, triggering cardiac arrhythmia or even having a heart attack. Statistics show that annual premature deaths caused by particulate air pollution have increased by six times since the year 2000. |
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