The downside to progress

We're all aware of the devastation to come as a result of our abhorrent overindulgence in the use non-renewable fuels. Rising sea level, floods as a result and severe climate change are all consequences we are going to have to deal with in the future, but our pollution problem is forcing us to deal with effects that are much more immediate, and in no way less sinister.

UNICEF issued a statement on the 6th of December (click link here) stating that 17 million babies around the world are at risk of stunted brain development due to their breathing in of toxic pollutants. They also said that the majority resided in South-Asia. Southern Asia is notorious for its heavy smog clouds in large cities and many of the citizens subsequently wear smog masks or gas filters in an attempt to protect their well-being. There are babies in these smog-ridden regions that are breathing in an environment that is polluted 6 times the national limit, and the effects are detrimental to their future.

UNICEF stated that "breathing in particulate air pollution can damage brain tissue and undermine cognitive development". This means that children will grow up with an impaired ability to learn and they may suffer from a wide range of symptoms of brain damage throughout their life, as these detriments are irreversible.

The reason I have named this article as I have, is because large companies, and even governments, believe it more important that they make money through their factories and businesses than take into account the health and safety of the people in the vicinity of their money makers. China in particular has developed a nasty habit of disregarding anti-pollution laws and the result is people having to live behind a mask and having to watch the sunset on a screen because the smog they have created is too thick for the rays of the sun to penetrate it. This is going to cease one of two ways: either large corporations are going to wake up and begin caring that what they are doing is killing the people around them, or those in charge of enforcing the environmental laws stand up and and protect the people they are meant to be guarding. Appeasement, as we have seen, doesn't help anyone and leaves many people dead.

Though slightly more macabre today, I still hope you enjoyed reading. This has been Timothy K. Bosse, wishing you a happy, pollutant-free day!

Citations:
https://www.unicef.org/media/media_101774.html

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PTSD - A Psychodynamic Explanation

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder which you may develop after being involved in, or witnessing, traumatic events. The condition was first recognised in war veterans and has been known by a variety of names, such as 'shell shock'. PTSD can develop immediately after someone experiences a disturbing event, or it can occur weeks, months or even years later. Its estimated to affect about 1 in every 3 people who have a traumatic experience, but it's not clear exactly why some people develop the condition and others do not. There are many theories that could be used to explain this condition. Psychodynamic approaches to PTSD focus on a number of different factors that may influence or cause PTSD symptoms, such as early childhood experiences, current relationships and the things people do to protect themselves from upsetting thoughts and feelings that are the result of experiencing a traumatic event. The psychodynamic approach focuses mainly...
Read more

Disparities in Global Eye Care

Vision is one of our most precious possessions. Multiple polls globally show that most people are more fearful of becoming blind than losing any other sense. (1,2) With sight being such a valuable asset, one would assume that eyecare is at the forefront of medical services across the world. Living in the developed world, we perhaps take for granted the simple and yet crucial services available to us such as regular eye tests, glasses, contact lenses and high-quality ophthalmic care - most of which can be accessed for free or at a subsidised price. However, in many parts of the world this is not the case. 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired, with 90% being from developing countries. (3) In China, for example, levels of blindness are increasing each year, however critically, rates of blindness have been reported at up to 4 times higher in the developing world as compared to more economically developed countries (4, 5). This is particularly worrying given that around 80% of...
Read more

Do Contact Lenses Really “Support Your Vision”?

Image
Contact lenses have been frequently used as an alternative to glasses. Compared to the heavy-framed glasses in front of one’s eyes (optic glasses), thin plastic discs on the eye (contact lenses) help correct refractive errors in both myopic and hypermetropic users. The lens’ shape and power can be tailored to the user’s sight. A concave lens can be used to decrease myopia by reducing light refraction and increasing focal length so that the image is formed on the retina (1)  (Figure 1). Alternatively, a convex lens can be used to limit hypermetropia in an opposing mechanism to concave lenses (1) (Figure 1). Figure 1, An illustration of myopia and hyperopia and how adding lens of different shapes in front of the eye can be used to alter the refraction of light and correct each impairment in vision (10) Besides supporting sight, which both types of lenses can do, contact lenses confer some advantages that make them preferable to glasses. Unlike glasses, contact lenses are less li...
Read more