Unhealthy Skin Due to Environmental Pollution
There is a continuous increase in the pollution in this globally industrialized era and this pollution is increasingly and adversely affecting the environment and the human health. Studies have revealed that the pollutant particles are rendering harm to human life and its obvious effects are also been noticed by the dermatologist on the delicate and important human organ “the skin”.
The skin is the outermost layer on the human body which is responsible for protecting the underlying muscles, ligaments, and other internal organs .besides, the skin also determines the beauty and the personality of human beings. The pollution in the air and atmosphere effects the beauty of the skin. The pollution is affecting the skin in the form of pre-aging, acne, skin rashes and also the infection and cancer in the skin which may lead to the human mortality.
Indoor Pollution is More Harmful than Outdoor Pollution
The common concept is that the outdoor pollution affects the skin but the fact is that the indoor air is also harmful.Researchers say that indoor pollution is nearly 4 to 5 time more harmful than the outdoor air.
The sources of indoor pollution are stoves and fireplaces, foam insulation. Paints, woodwork in houses, air fresheners and much more. And the urban is more polluted. Studies in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology observes the urban and rural women’s skin for over 24 years and found that women belonging to the urban area had the black spots and wrinkles.
Pre-Aging of Skin:
The particles in the air and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) causes the pre-aging of skin. The pollutant in the air snatches the oxygen the skin which makes the skin look dull gray and sagging. Ultraviolet radiation also snatches the skin natural moisture making it become dry and dull.
The air is replete with free radicals and these radicals in collaboration with UV combines with the skin molecules resulting in the decrease in the elasticity and flexibility of the skin, as a result, the skin loses it fine texture and wrinkles appear on the skin.
Skin Cancer:
In the year 1993, About 700,000 cases of skin cancer were diagnosed. And nearly 9000 people died of it 70 % of them died due to melanoma. The skin cancer is caused due to skin exposure to UV radiation. 1% decrease in ozone layer results in 2% increase in UVR Radiation. it reveals that there is 2% increase in chances of skin cancer for 1% decrease in the ozone layer. So the ozone depleting chemicals are the major concern for the dermatologist
Effects of Water Pollution in Skin:
The water pollution is also rendering equal effects to human skin but the pollution in water is not much obvious as the air pollution is. water is essentially important to keep your skin young and hydrate but the water containing chlorine is much harmful. The chlorine in water causes serious agitation to skin and lungs.
It results to the aging of your skin. having a shower in the chlorine added water causes the pores in your body to open and the chlorine seeps into your skin and makes your skin deprive of the natural oil. The skin becomes dry and creaked and the wrinkles originate on skin;
How to Cure The Skin:
Dermatologist presents its solution they say deep cleaning of your face and skin can help you avert the causes. Dr. Bank says a famous dermatologist says. “Simple washing may not be enough to remove it, but exfoliating can get those cells out of there.” If you don’t use a brush or your skin is too sensitive, add a gentle scrub to your nightly routine. “Limit use to every other night if either irritates.
Dr.Tanzi further advises wiping a cotton pad dribbled in the toner to clean deeper. Before leaving home, make the habit of using the sun blocks to avoid the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation of the sun. Free radical in the air causes damage in the DNA that leads to cancer. So antioxidant should be used to treat combat the free radicals. One should also plan its diet rich in antioxidants like beans blueberries and green vegetables.
Conservation and Fertility of Soil
Man depend on the soil the most because soil determines the quality of man’s food. The food he eats is grown in the soil so, man is widely dependent on the soil quality for his better survival on the planet earth. Regardless of this fact man considers the soil as the dirt. The dirt contains many essential organisms and components in it that make the man food nourished. However, the soil quality also matters for the best nourishment of the food. A good fertile soil grows the healthy food. While the contaminated or unfertile soil will make the impure, less fertile and less food yield so, the wise farmer takes a lot of care of his soil fertility and takes the necessary precautionary measures to ensure the soil sustainability.
Nutritional Composition of Fertile Soil:
Fertile soil teems with the microorganisms and the organic matter that are transported to the plants through the nodes on the plants. The soil also contains the minerals like silicon. Iron, aluminum, oxygen, magnesium, sodium and potassium. Vegetation type, climatic condition, parent rock material, geographical relief and geological age of the soil also determine the soil fertility. In the humid region, the soil is acidic because alkaline matters seep down into the ground. In dry regions, the soil is alkaline because the salt minerals remain deposited on the surface of the earth.
Three Essential Layers of the Soil:
The layer of the soil contains the three layers. The uppermost layer of the soil contains the humus the second layer of the soil comprises of the inorganic matter generated by the decomposition of organic matter buried under the ground. The innermost layer of the soil is composed of the battered ancestral minerals. The soil fertility is affected in many manners often it is disrupted by human activities and often it is done by natural processes.
Mono Culturing:
Cultivation of single type of crop on a piece of land repeated for a long time causes the infertility of the soil. Certain nutrients required to grow a crop become deficient when it is repeatedly grown without the rotation of crop cultivation. While the other nutrients remain replete in the soil.
Erosion of Soil:
Often due to heavy rain, floods, and wind the upper essential nutrient layer of soil get washed away with the heavy thrust of water and the air. These results to make the soil barren
Use of Fertilizers and Pesticides in Soil:
The fertilizers and the pesticides used in the conventional farming often disrupt the soil composition and make the soil infertile. The harmful chemical in the soil causes to the introduction of foreign species invasion into the soil that leads to the soil infertility
Change in the PH of Soil:
The PH level of the soil is often disrupted due to the use of fertilizers and the pesticides. The acidic chemicals in the fertilizers tend to make the soil acidic and the change in the PH level of the soil affects the nutritional composition of soil and also alters the functionality micro bacteria of the soil.
The burning of Cultivation:
The burning of cultivation due to natural disasters or due to human activities tends to destroy the vegetation and also it destroys the humus and the decomposed organic matter found in the soil this also tends to minimize the fertility of the soil.
Chemical And Physical Properties Of Water
Water is an abundantly occurring natural source. It is found on the surface of the earth as well in the underground resources. Water is said to comprise the 70 percent of the earth’s surface, beside it is present in some ratio in the atmosphere. Around us, the living being on the earth are also composed of water. The human body is consisting o only 70 percent of water in the form of blood and other liquid states in human body. Water is necessary for the smooth working of many natural processes on earth man and living animal depends on water by in taking it. Man cannot continue his life if he gets deprived of water due to any reason.
Physical properties of water :
Water is present in the form of liquid in nature. It is colorless, odorless, tasteless liquid. But if it is present in reservoir s, it appears with a tinge of blue. Ice is solid form of water and in gaseous form it is can be felts as water vapors. The boiling point of water is 100 degree Celsius; it is the point when liquid water changes from liquid state to gaseous state. The freezing point, the point when water changed from liquids state to solid state ice is 0 degree Celsius. These above two properties of water are due to hydrogen bonding present in the water molecules. Besides, the water is good universal solvent, able to dissolve minerals and salt in it.
Chemical properties of water:
The water molecule is composed of 2 hydrogen and one oxygen connected with the covalent bond.Hydrogen bonding in the water molecules is responsible for different chemical properties in water. A water molecule is a polar molecule because they are unequally shared electrons between hydrogen and oxygen atoms.The oxygen has more electromagnetically than the hydrogen and the result it attracts more molecules toward it making hydrogen end of molecules positive. This in turns results in making water soluble for minerals.
Water cannot dissolve non polar substances:
The polar substances are easily dissolved in water due to the presence of negative and positive charges on the hydrogen and oxygen molecules in water. the sodium chloride bearing the polar specification get easily dissolved in water while the non-polar molecules are not dissolved in water. They remain as clumped together.
Water as amphoteric compound:
Another property of water is that it is amphoteric compound. It can react as base or acid in a chemical reaction in laboratory as well as in nature.
Cohesive and adhesive nature of water:
Water is cohesive or adhesive due to the presence of hydrogen bonding in it.Atoms in water molecules bear small charges that are responsible for making them join them together.Due to this ability water is easily transported to the top parts of plants from the soil it due to this fact that water easily gets sucked by the straw.
Biological properties of water:
Water is an essential element of the cell in plants and animals the cell in animal and human is made up of liquid known as cytoplasm. All the components of organism’s cell like DNA and other organelles are dissolved in water.Water being polar molecule keeps the organelles in the cell from moving apart out of the cell membrane. The electronegativity in of water help in transporting the impulse from and to the brain.
Written By : Zarnigar Ayub Khan
Protecting the last of the North Atlantic Right Whales
North Atlantic white whale that is a rare species of large whale is found dead on the Georgia coast. The whale was found lacerate having deep cut at multiple places on its entire body. The whale is highly under threat of extinction. There are less than 400 whales left and in 2006 six whales were found dead and 4 whales were killed by the ships and one whale got entangled in the fishing net and was found dead. These endangered whales are accustomed to spending the summer in the North but migrate the eastern coasts toward the Georgia and Florida in late season for the hunt of the calving ground.
The dead whale was found few mile away from the Brunswick, The whale was juvenile and was more than 40 feet in length. The whale had deep 20 sharp peddled cuts on its head and sides of it back. Necropsy on the whale was performed by the Michael Moore the researcher at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and found out deep and huge laceration as the cause of death.
The situation is much alarming for the marine scientists. The National Fisheries Services strained in developing certain rules for the protection of whales. They suggested that the ships should reduce their speed in the areas where the whales are present in the specific region beside they also proposed to make the amendment in the shipping route at the primary feeding grounds. However, the process of setting regulation is pending due to some of the concerns of the two opposing parties.
Tony LaCasse, the representative of the New England Aquarium says that at present the solution of the cause should be implemented in a timely manner. The need of the hour is clear. The Extinction Time Clock of North Atlantic right whales might be swiftly curving down.
Written By : Zarnigar Ayub Khan
10 Global Health Issues That Shook The World
The world is united today to dominate long-standing challenges in health faced by mankind such as HIV, Cancer, population control and maternal health. Aggravated by poverty, pollution and ignorance, these challenges need collective communal support in minimizing and eradication. The human population stands at approximate 7 billion in 2015 and each one of us will be affected by the 10 underlying major health issues. There has been tremendous progress towards curing health problems but it has been derailed by recent Ebola virus in 2014.
In addition to critical health a problem WHO has also faced the shortage of health workers around the world. Especially in the wake of recent Ebola virus attack which killed hundreds of health workers. The world is currently at war with West Africa to control the epidemic and needs trained staff to contain the disease. Here are the top issues to focus on in 2015
Health Care Workers in People Care System:
Take away the health workers from any health care establishment and you have chaos in your hands. A Recent example is Ebola viruses which certainly decline the volunteers in fear of death. The big question to ask in the coming years is how we ensure the safety of our biggest resource “human beings” a priority in vulnerable conditions. All health care systems need people to run the system not only as clinicians but in logistics, finance, and as technicians.
Establish Common Goals:
Sustainable goals could unite governments and nationalities on a collective platform. A set of millennium goals could clear the vision and plan a clear strategy for coming years. We can unite resources to achieve most ambitious goals in universal health coverage.
Ebola:
Almost 8000 people were a victim of Ebola virus in 2014 and the danger is still looming. It wasn’t just the killing but the consequences of the epidemic which are still at large. Many children were orphaned by the disease and shunned by immediate families. The psychological trauma faced by health workers and the uncertain working conditions. Ebola has already added to the greater need of volunteer social workers in Africa who are prepared and received training in this vulnerable condition.
War Torn Cities:
The past decade has seen more war casualties than caused by any epidemic or disease. Many health workers have compromised in the given conditions especially in Syria where hospitals have been taken over by Syrian forces. Many health facilities are rendering nonfunctional because of war and unrest in the society. If similar conditions prevail we may have hindered progress on health issues or the progress could even reverse.
Global Health Securities:
A recent outbreak of mumps in National USA hockey teams and measles spread has reached a twenty year high. Polio still persists in more than 8 countries many hundreds of cases have come to fore. These diseases can be prevented by the vaccine. Their resurgence is alarming and a threat to our global health security.
Mobile technology:
Relying on mobile for health facilities might be a farfetched idea but in remote areas a single health worker can get crucial information on mobile tech and save a life. It connects health workers from each other and gets updated training increase the quality of health services. it is more feasible in remote areas and helps the patient recognize a quack.
Population Control:
Large population and limited resources have been an issue for the past few decades so much so that certain laws have been passed to promote family planning in fundamental societies. There has been a tremendous rise in the use of contraception in the past few years but a lot is still left to be achieved. The progress in encouraging but religious obligations and social pressures hinder the progress.
AIDS:
UN has a fast track strategy introduced in 2014 to end the epidemic by 2030. The epidemic is feared to double its toll in the coming years because 35 million people who are affected by HIV virus are not aware of it. So, they are not aware of the dangers of passing on the virus to others.
Cancer:
Cancer is the main cause of death in the middle to lower class families than HIV and tuberculosis. The reason is expensive treatment and long battle with the disease which leaves patient incapacitated to fight the battle against cancer. Cancer is not a transferrable disease so it will not get the same attention as AIDS or Ebola but the danger is not overlooked. In Uganda and other four surrounding countries , there is only one cancer doctor which also increases the number of deaths caused by this disease.
Mental Health:
Depression and posttraumatic disorder have caused severe illness amongst seemingly healthy individuals. The stigma attached to mental illness also contributes to the progress factor in countering mental illnesses. Substance abuse has been a serious mental health challenged faced by developing and developed countries alike. Mental health is crucial for sustainable growth in society, enjoying life, earning a living and having positive social interactions. Ethiopia is the first country that sent trained workers to prisons for counseling sessions with prisoners. Due to war-torn countries, there will be a greater need for mental health workers, social workers and psychiatrist in the coming years.
Written By : Zarnigar Ayub Khan
Wildlife Conservation In Pakistan
Life in Pakistan is full of diverse variety of flora and fauna .wild life in Pakistan is expanded throughout the country due to immense geographical and ecological diversity of Pakistan. Great variety of wildlife species like mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, marine habitat is supported in different zones of the country from tropical areas to alpine highland areas. The diversity of wildlife habitat in Pakistan, although was rich at one time, is now at the threat of extinction or decline due to environmental degradation .some of the extinction species have been recovered by the efforts of environmental conservation of Pakistan.
High land wild life :
The unique wildlife diversities are found to be living in the K-2 highland ranges and the rich life diversities are seen to be spread to the Coral reefs of Makran coasts below Sea level. Snow leopard, the biggest predator food chain is found in the snow field of Hindu Kash range, Himalayas, and the karaka ram ranges. The endangered cats species found in the highland areas are rarely seen in case if it is drawn to the village in search of the life stock. A drastic reduction has been noticed in the number of blue sheep and Tibetan wild ass. Also, the cheer pheasant has got extinct from the Pakistan’s geographical boundary. The western home tragopan was said to become extinct from the geographical boundaries of Pakistan but it is reported again to be found in the Indus Kohistan region of Pakistan in low number.
Hoofed mammals and diverse birds species:
Hoofed mammals like markhor and wild birds like Monal Pheasant, Western Horned tragopan are found in the alpine and the subalpine areas of Pakistan like Swat, Chitral, Dir, Kohistan, Astore, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Astore, These species are considered as endangered species and are recorded as extinct in the red data book of IUCN. Suleiman range and the Kirthar range is composed of life habitat possessing the unique and the rare characteristics Urial ,Chinkara, Sindh ibex, which are in threat of diminishing from the territory .
Threats to wildlife diversity:
Here we will discuss some of the major threats that the wild life Pakistan is encountering in the current era.
The increase in population :
The increase in population is rendering the pressure on the natural resources and natural habitats. Due to the economic inequality, The poor people are forced to depend on the natural resources which in turns causes the destruction of wildlife habitat.
Hunting of wildlife :
Hunting is a tradition and old sport in Pakistan. people hunt the wildlife for their recreation in spite of the fact that hunting is considered as an illegal act, hunting in Pakistan still peruse and led to the extinction of many rare species in Pakistan . People hunt the animal for the different reason some hunt for food others for the skin, and some animals like elephants are hunted for their ivory.
Irrigated agriculture:
Irrigated agriculture is an another threat to the riverine and mangrove forest habitats in Pakistan. There were the rich variety of plants in these forests but these are getting extinct day by day. Their extinction will result in loss of many rare fish habitats from the ecosystem.
Deforestation:
Cutting of forests is a great threat to the wildlife habitat. It results in disappearing of habitat for the grazing animals. Cutting of trees makes the extinction of reptiles, snakes, and rare birds. Due to deforestation it is said that approximately 1% of forest are cut annually in North West Frontier Province in Pakistan.
Written By : Zarnigar Ayub Khan
How Recycling Helps In Reducing Construction Budget
All the waste materials which we throw away as useless are reclaimed by world renowned artist who turns them into gold- Literally. You cannot imagine the price of these magnificent innovative masterpieces of architecture built from scratch. There have been few most famous materials used for building these houses. Sometimes they are left as is to show their age and give a historical look to building and sometimes they are revamped to the extent that nobody can guess that it’s been made out of trash. Most of the waste materials used in construction are
Bottles and Aluminum Cans:
For us, it’s only Junk but for creative people, they are the main building blocks for construction. The cans are flattened and used as exterior tiles. The bottles are embedded in mud walls for extra support.
Ships and Boats:
Ships and boats which are no longer fit for the sea are brought on land and transformed in spectacular residences. These residences become the talk of the town and cause people to stare in admiration as they pass by. If you don’t have an old run down the boat, then you can use wood to create these masterpieces.
Glass Panels and Windows:
Plexiglass panels and recycled windows of old houses could be transformed into sunny and airy living spaces. This recycles material can also be used for building greenhouses.
Barns:
With expanding urban areas, farms are fewer and fewer. This mainly raised the need to use old barns in an innovative way. These spacious barns are not scraped down but are redesigned to accommodate a happy family.
The traditional shape of these barns is maintained yet the front façade is converted into airy and sunny all glass entrance. Well suited for ventilation and sunlit rays.
Written By : Zarnigar Ayub Khan
Effects of Fertilizer On Environment
Fertilizers are an organic material used to add the required nutrients in the soil. To enhance soil fertility and promote the better and rapid growth of the plants . The chemical contains three main components nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in it ,besides, it contains three secondarily macro nutrients that are calcium, magnesium and sulphur.it also contains the micronutrients copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (MN), molybdenum (Mo), zinc (Zn), boron (B), and silicon (Si), cobalt (Co), and vanadium (V) plus rare mineral catalysts.. These all micro and macro nutrients are present in the fertilizers in varying amount depending upon the soil nutrient requirements.
Historical backgrounds of fertilizers:
The extensive use of the fertilizers along with pesticides and herbicides came in the custom with the advent of green revolution in the mid of 20 century by the farmers and gardeners in order to get the better yield crops in minimum time period. This lab synthesized chemical eased the farmers in exercising the full control on the plants the want to grow by providing the required nutrients to the environment along with warding off the pests. Along with the enormous benefits the fertilizers are rendering to the farming, it has enormous effects on the environment plants and animals. In a way, they are destroying the ecosystem.
Effects on soil:
The quality of the soil is get affected by the excess use of fertilizers… The chemical in fertilizers alter the soil quality by making it more acidic this in turn makes the soil unfertile increasing the ph of the soil high. The extra amount of fertilizers in the soil causes eutrophication in soil.
Effects of fertilizers on aquatic life:
The fertilizers from soil are drained into the lakes, oceans, and rivers with the flow of water. The chemical when enters the water bodies causes harm to the marine aquatic animals. The toxin material kills the fishes in the marine ecosystem. The nitrogen and phosphorous chemical, in turn result to increase the nitrogen level in water and decrees the oxygen level in the water. This also makes to increase the green algae production in water bodies.
Effects on the human health:
The nitrogen and other chemicals present in fertilizers get absorbed in the ground water and the fresh water reservoir and are subsequently getting intake by the human beings through water intake. Secondly, the chemicals get locked in the fruits and vegetable grown in the fertilized land. And subsequently, enter the human body. The chemical is responsible for creating the ailment of the blue baby syndrome in infants besides it tend to cause diseases like cancer and ,chronic diseases , West Nile virus, malaria, and cholera.in human beings . Air bore nitrogen from fertilizers cause many respiratory disorders and respiratory allergy ailments.
Effects of fertilizers on global warming:
Fertilizers contain the organic chemicals like nitrogen ,hydrogen carbon dioxide and methane that are greenhouse gasses these chemicals in fertilizers are mainly increasing the greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere . Thus, making the temperature of earth rise rapidly.
Conclusion:
All these facts discussed above are quite alarming for the environment and habitats of the ecosystem. It’s obvious that how harmful the use of fertilizers is for our ecosystem. We need to make sure that we should use fertilizer when needed for the land but in moderate mode. The fertilizers are providing us now the full stomach but we can see it clearly that their excessive use will one day result in a lack of foo water and health.
Written By : Zarnigar Ayub Khan
Reduce, Reuse & Recycle
The waste products made by glass plastic, aluminum paper are being recycled by every state authority to conserve the natural sources and to reduce the landfill space on earth; this act also tends to save the energy wasted while making a new product from the raw material. According to recycle revolution,
“The energy saved by processing the recycling of used waste material 2005 was enough to power 9 million homes.”
Reprocessing of discarded material basically involves five steps. . In developing countries there are bins allocated for discarding the recyclable products which in turn facilitates the authorities in segregating recyclable products .while in underdeveloped countries the waste material is heaped in the same bin without the specific discrimination of recyclable material and no recyclable material.
Collection:
The first step involved in the reprocessing is the collection of recyclable products. The process of collecting material varies by the communities the recyclable material in developed communities is cast into allocated recyclable bins. While in other communities, it is done by the curbside pickup, drop-off centers. Paper, aluminum, plastic material stamped 1 or 2 having ethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastics and glass bottles and jars are mostly collected by the haulers.
Segregation of material:
After collection, the material is then shifted to material recovery facility (MRF) where the material is passed through a V screen separator. The material is segregated on the classification of it type: like glass is separated by the color and the plastic by its type. Aluminum products are segregated on the basis of its steel type or on the basis of its bimetallic counterparts.
The MRF sorted materials are then sent to reclaims to process them into valuable resources. The plastic material is then pushed into the grinders where they are cleaned and turned into flakes. The flakes are sometimes transferred to the manufacturers directly and often they are melted to their respective polymer types and then reformed to their pellet formed before sending to manufacturers. The glass is crushed in reclaimed into small pieces called as cullet. The cullet is often shifted to manufacturers to blend with the virgin material to make the new product .often the cullet is melted in a furnace and new glass material is directly made from the molten glass. While aluminum in reclaimed is melted at the high temperature of 2800 degree Fahrenheit the molten aluminum is then cooled down again to take the shape of ingot which is shipped to manufacturers for further processing.
Remanufacturing:
The glass, plastic, and aluminum after the processing in reclaimed are sent to manufacturers. Where they are mixed with the virgin material and a new product is manufactured from the processed material .glass and aluminum is made back into their original products like bottles, cans, jars etc. but plastic due to its variety of polymers is recycled into different products. Soda bottles are made of PET plastic materials and the recycled pet bottles are likely to be remanufactured into beverage containers.
Purchasing:
Now the products are sent to market for the consumers to purchase. It depends on you to buy products that can be recycled in order to close the loop. By purchasing the recyclable product the demand and benefits of recycling remain sustained before buying any product make sure that the product contains the post-consumer waste .You may find the post-consumer percentage printed o the label of the product.
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