Basic 9 · Social Studies · Environmental Issues
Air Pollution as an Environmental Challenge
In this topic you will examine air pollution as an environmental challenge, explaining its causes, its effects on health and the environment and ways to reduce it.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- Explain the concept of air pollution
- Identify causes of air pollution in Ghana
- Discuss effects and solutions
What you already know
- Water pollution
- Sources of energy
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
Lesson 1
- Strand
- Environment
- Sub-strand
- Environmental Issues
- Indicator
- B9.1.1.1.1 – Examine air pollution as an environmental challenge
Introduction
On some mornings in Accra, the air has a haze you can taste. You cannot see most air pollution, but your lungs feel it.
1. What Is Air Pollution?
Air pollution: The presence in the air of substances that harm people, animals or the environment.
Clean air is mainly nitrogen and oxygen, with small amounts of other gases. Pollutants include smoke, dust, soot, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Very small particles are especially dangerous, because they can pass deep into the lungs. The World Health Organization has described air pollution as one of the greatest environmental risks to health in the world.
2. Sources of Air Pollution
| Source | Pollutant | Example |
|---|---|---|
| vehicles | exhaust fumes, soot | old trotros in traffic |
| burning waste | toxic smoke | burning rubbish and tyres |
| wood and charcoal cooking | smoke | three-stone fires |
| generators | fumes, noise | shops during power cuts |
| industries | gases, dust | factories and quarries |
| mining | dust | open pits |
| bush fires | smoke, ash | dry season fires |
| natural sources | dust | Harmattan haze |
3. Urban Air Pollution
Accra and Kumasi are growing fast, and many vehicles on their roads are old. Dust from unpaved roads adds to the problem. Burning e-waste at Agbogbloshie and other sites has released toxic smoke. Open burning of rubbish is common, since many homes have no reliable waste collection. Traffic jams trap people in fumes for hours.
4. Rural and Indoor Pollution
Air pollution is not only an urban problem. Indoor air can be worse than the air outdoors. Cooking on open fires in closed kitchens fills rooms with smoke, and women and young children breathe in most of it. In rural areas, bush burning fills the air with smoke, and dust comes from mines and untarred roads. In northern Ghana, the Harmattan brings dust from the Sahara from about November to March.
5. Human Choices
Most air pollution comes from human activity, and it is the result of choices made by individuals, businesses and governments. Poverty limits people's choices: a family may use firewood because it cannot afford gas. A driver may keep an old car because they cannot buy another. So solutions must be fair and realistic.
New words
- pollutant
- A harmful substance.
- soot
- Black particles from burning.
- exhaust
- Waste gases from an engine.
- Harmattan
- A dry, dusty wind from the Sahara.
Summary
- Air pollution contains harmful substances.
- Vehicles, burning and cooking are key sources.
- Poverty limits people's choices.
Class activity: Pollution Watch
- Observe sources of air pollution near your school.
- Record them for one week.
- Present your findings.
You need: Soot-stained cloth, Charcoal pieces, Printed photographs of vehicle smoke in Accra
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Which pollutes the air?
- A. burning tyres
- B. planting trees
- C. sweeping
- D. reading
Show answer
Answer: burning tyresSource.2. The Harmattan brings dust from the…
- A. Sahara
- B. Atlantic
- C. Volta Lake
- D. Akwapim Hills
Show answer
Answer: SaharaNatural source.3. Indoor air can be polluted.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueCooking.4. Waste gases from an engine are ______ fumes.
Show answer
Answer: exhaustTerm.5. State three sources of air pollution.
Show answer
Answer: Vehicles, burning waste and generators.Any three.6. Why do many people still burn rubbish?
Show answer
Answer: Many homes have no reliable waste collection.Reason.
Lesson 2
- Strand
- Environment
- Sub-strand
- Environmental Issues
- Indicator
- B9.1.1.1.1 – Examine air pollution as an environmental challenge
Introduction
Dirty air can shorten lives. The good news is that clean air can be brought back.
1. Effects on Health
| Effect | Details |
|---|---|
| lung disease | asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia |
| heart disease | damage to blood vessels |
| eye and throat irritation | stinging and coughing |
| cancer | long-term exposure |
| children's health | slower lung growth |
Children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with asthma are most at risk. Exposure to smoke in the kitchen is linked with pneumonia in young children, which is a leading cause of death among those under five in many countries. Hospitals may see more breathing problems during periods of dust and smoke.
2. Effects on the Environment
| Effect | Explanation |
|---|---|
| climate change | greenhouse gases warm the Earth |
| acid rain | sulfur and nitrogen gases harm plants and buildings |
| reduced visibility | haze disrupts flights and driving |
| harm to crops | dust and soot reduce growth |
| dirty buildings | soot stains walls |
3. Economic Effects
Air pollution costs money. Families spend on medical care, and workers lose days of work. Tourism can suffer if a city is known for dirty air. Harmattan dust has at times delayed flights at Kotoka and other airports. Clean air is, therefore, good for the economy as well as for health.
4. Solutions
| Group | Action |
|---|---|
| government | set vehicle standards, enforce the law, improve public transport |
| assemblies | collect waste, ban open burning |
| businesses | install filters, use clean energy |
| households | use LPG or improved stoves, do not burn rubbish |
| individuals | walk, share rides, plant trees |
Ghana's Environmental Protection Agency monitors air quality in Accra and has worked with partners on an air quality plan. Trees can filter dust and provide shade. Using buses rather than private cars reduces traffic. Laws only work if they are enforced, and people need to know the reasons for them.
5. What You Can Do
Do not burn rubbish. Sort your waste. Tell your family about the danger of smoke, and cook in a ventilated area. Wear a mask in dusty conditions where possible. Report illegal burning to the assembly. Plant a tree at school. As a young person, you can also persuade others through posters, drama and social media.
New words
- asthma
- A disease that narrows the airways.
- acid rain
- Rain polluted by acidic gases.
- greenhouse gas
- A gas that traps heat.
- ventilated
- Having a good flow of air.
Summary
- Air pollution harms health, the environment and the economy.
- Children and the elderly are most at risk.
- Everyone has a role in reducing it.
Class activity: Clean Air Campaign
- Choose one solution.
- Make a poster.
- Present it to the school.
You need: Soot-stained cloth, Charcoal pieces, Printed photographs of vehicle smoke in Accra
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Air pollution can cause…
- A. asthma attacks
- B. malaria
- C. ringworm
- D. toothache
Show answer
Answer: asthma attacksHealth.2. Which body monitors air quality in Ghana?
- A. EPA
- B. ECG
- C. GES
- D. WAEC
Show answer
Answer: EPAInstitution.3. Trees can help to filter dust.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueSolution.4. Rain polluted by acidic gases is ______ rain.
Show answer
Answer: acidTerm.5. State three health effects of air pollution.
Show answer
Answer: Asthma, pneumonia and eye irritation.Any three.6. Why are laws alone not enough?
Show answer
Answer: They must be enforced, and people must understand them.Reasoning.
Homework
- Write a letter to your assembly member on air pollution in your area.