1. LECTURE 2: The EFFECT OF POLLUTION ON the Environment & HUMAN HEALTH
ARCH 213 ecological issues in architecture

2. THE EFFECT OF POLLUTION ON THE ENVIRONMENT & HUMAN HEALTH
AIR POLLUTION
WATER POLLUTION
LAND POLLUTION
LAND USE

3. Air Pollution
Air Pollution is continuously increasing every MINUTE due to:
GROWING POPULATION / URBANIZATION
INCREASE IN THE USE OF CARS
SPREAD OF INDUSTRIAL AREAS
Nuclear energy diffusion across the WORLD,
Deforestation across the WORLD,
Lack of enough growth of trees (to take carbon oxides) due to lack of enough rains (which is again due to Air Pollution).
Bomb tests across the WORLD

4. Sources of Outdoor Air Pollution
Two main sources
Transportation
Industry
Intentional forest fires is also high

5. THE RESULTS OF AIR POLLUTION
RELEASE OF Carbon Monoxide
form carboxyhaemoglobin
permanently with
haemoglobin
in blood which reduces the
oxygen-carrying capacity
Of blood health effect:
slow response, fainting and
even death

6. THE RESULTS OF AIR POLLUTION
RELEASE OF Carbon Dioxide
accounts for Greenhouse Effect
causes melting of polar ice  increases in sea level  causes flooding of cities

7. RESULT OF AIR POLLUTION:
Ozone layer depletion ,
Ultra-Violet penetration into the Earth.

8. Effects of Ozone Depletion
Higher levels of UV-radiation hitting the earth
Eye cataracts
Skin cancer (right)
Weakened immunity
May disrupt ecosystems
May damage crops and forests

9. THE RESULTS OF AIR POLLUTION
RELEASE OF Carbon Particles :
Environmental Effect: cover plants & make them unable to carry out gaseous exchange & photosynthesis
Health Effect: cause respiratory diseases
Lead : from cars
Health Effect: affect mental development of baby & child, cause headache, irritability, fatigue & depression

10. THE RESULTS OF AIR POLLUTION
RELEASE OF Sulphur Dioxide & Nitrogen Dioxide
Environmental Effect: produce acid rain which is corrosive to buildings and plants & fish are unable to survive in acidic conditions
Acid rain
Acid leaching
Acid snow
Dry fallout
Die off of aquatic life
SO2 & NOx
H2SO4 & HNO3

11. THE RESULTS OF AIR POLLUTION
Smog Formation
pollutants trapped by a layer of warm air above so that it cannot rise and disperse
a mixture of poisonous gases & fog
Health Effect: irritates eyes & lungs
Environmental Effect: toxic to plants
CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons)
Environmental Effect: reduce amount of ozone in atmosphere
Health Effect: increase chances of skin cancer

12. THE RESULTS OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES ON
THE ENVIRONMENT
Domestic WASTES
Rubbish
Environmental Effect: give off bad smell & attract pests
Metal Cans & Plastics
Environmental Effect: non-biodegradable which needs plenty of space for landfilling

13. Detergents
Environmental Effect:
create foam on surface, decrease oxygen content in rivers, living organisms suffocate & die
affect the functioning of sewage treatment plant by killing micro-organisms which the treatment depends

14. Agricultural Wastes
Inorganic Fertilizers
Environmental Effect:
cause rapid growth of algae (e.g. red tides)
use up lots of O2 in water
fish & other organisms die from suffocation

15. Manure
Environmental Effect:
decomposers increase rapidly due to sufficient food supply
O2 content in water decreases
cause suffocation of fish & other organisms

16. Industrial Wastes Soluble Poisonous Heavy Metal Elements
Environmental Effect: accumulate along the food chain & cause death when in high concentration

17. Crude Oil (from wrecked tankers)
Environmental Effect:
cover sea surface which reduces light penetration and dissolve O2 amount
stick feathers of birds, making them unable to fly

18. THE EFFECT OF land POLLUTION ON THE ENVIRONMENT & HUMAN HEALTH
Metallic elements (i.e heavy metals) that are present in contaminated environments occur at high concentrations and result in public health. Heavy metals may be released into the environment from scrap metal, plastic and rubber industries, various consumer products and from burning of waste containing these elements.

19. THE EFFECT OF land POLLUTION ON THE ENVIRONMENT.
Environmental pollution originating from waste dumping sites
Radioactive Waste Dumping site
Municipal Waste Dumping Site

20. THE EFFECT OF land POLLUTION ON THE ENVIRONMENT & HUMAN HEALTH
The elements that are of concern include lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, zinc, nickel and copper.
Extraction of copper, Lefke, North Cyprus

21. THE EFFECT OF land POLLUTION ON THE ENVIRONMENT & HUMAN HEALTH
Nickel-cadmium batteries, Computer monitors, tvs containing cadmium

22. THE EFFECT OF land & AIR POLLUTION ON THE ENVIRONMENT & HUMAN HEALTH
If released to the air, these elements travel for large distances and are deposited onto the soil, vegetation and water depending on their density. Once deposited, these metals are not degraded and stay in the environment threathening human health through inhalation, ingestion and skin absorbtion. Acute exposure leads to anorexia, vomiting and gastrointestinal abnormalities.

23. Effects of heavy metal pollutION on HUMAN HEALTH

24. The effect of land use on the envIronment
DEFROSTATION
atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration increases
soil erosion by heavy rain or strong wind
no root to hold soil particles together
soil being washed into rivers  fills up the river bed  causes flooding

25. The effect of land use on the envIronment
THE EFFECTS OF DEFROSTATION
destroys natural habitats & causes loss of species
cause extinction of species because of destruction of natural habitat
loss of important medicines

26. THE EFFECT OF WATER POLLUTION ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH

27. SOURCES OF WATER POLLUTION
INDUSTRY
Industry is a huge source of water pollution, it produces pollutants that are extremely harmful to people and the environment.
Many industrial facilities use freshwater to carry away waste from the plant and into rivers, lakes and oceans.
Pollutants from industrial sources include:
Asbestos – This pollutant is a serious health hazard . Asbestos fibres can be inhaled and cause illnesses such as asbestosis, lung cancer, intestinal cancer and liver cancer.
Lead – This is a metallic element and can cause health and environmental problems. It is a non-biodegradable substance so is hard to clean up once the environment is contaminated. Lead is harmful to the health of many animals, including humans, as it can inhibit the action of bodily enzymes.

28. SOURCES OF WATER POLLUTION
OIL POLLUTION
Oceans are polluted by oil on a daily basis from oil spills, routine shipping, run-offs and dumping.
Oil spills cause a very localised problem but can be catastrophic to local marine wildlife such as fish, birds and sea otters.
Oil cannot dissolve in water and forms a thick sludge in the water. This suffocates fish, gets caught in the feathers of marine birds stopping them from flying and blocks light from photosynthetic aquatic plants.

29. SOURCES OF WATER POLLUTION
RADIO ACTIVE WASTE
Nuclear waste is produced from industrial, medical and scientific processes that use radioactive material. Nuclear waste can have detrimental effects on marine habitats. Nuclear waste comes from a number of sources:
Operations conducted by nuclear power stations produce radioactive waste.
Mining and refining of uranium and thorium are also causes of marine nuclear waste.

33. Effects of Water Pollution
Groundwater contamination from pesticides causes reproductive damage within wildlife in ecosystems.
Sewage, fertilizer, and agricultural run-off contain organic materials that when discharged into waters, increase the growth of algae, which causes the depletion of oxygen.  The low oxygen levels are not able to support most indigenous organisms in the area and therefore upset the natural ecological balance in rivers and lakes.

34. Effects of Water Pollution
Swimming in and drinking contaminated water causes skin rashes and health problems like cancer, reproductive problems, typhoid fever and stomach sickness in humans.  
Industrial chemicals and agricultural pesticides that end up in aquatic environments can accumulate in fish that are later eaten by humans.  Fish are easily poisoned with metals that are also later consumed by humans.  Mercury is particularly poisonous to small children and women.  Mercury has been found to interfere with the development of the nervous system in fetuses and young children.

35. Effects of Water Pollution
Ecosystems are destroyed by the rising temperature in the water.  Additionally, the warm water forces indigenous water species to seek cooler water in other areas, causing an ecological damaging shift of the affected area.
Human-produced litter of items such as plastic bags can get aquatic animals caught and killed from suffocation.
Water pollution causes flooding due to the accumulation of solid waste and soil erosion in streams and rivers.

36. NEXT WEEK: THE NEED FOR ECOLOGICAL AWARENESS