Pollution is a topic that is at the forefront of many peoples minds at the moment. With the rise in greenhouse gasses and pollution, health scares and dramatically changing whether it is very obvious that some of the actions of humans are destroying the planet and one of the major contributors is sulfur dioxide. With 39 new cases discovered this is quite a worrying thought.
The data NASA collected and reviewed between 2005-2014 was taken from the satellite, Aura. Most of the new sources of sulfur dioxide are found in areas of developing countries where regulations are perhaps more relaxed than that of USA or Canada, leading to many cases going unreported for some time.
Sulfur dioxide is a gas that reacts easily with other substances to produce very harmful results, such as acid rain. It is produced from the burning of fossil fuels and is present in most motor vehicle emissions. Humans are responsible for around 99% of the air’s sulfur dioxide, so we are hurting ourselves in a very serious way.
The research team also located 75 natural sources of sulfur dioxide, many of them non-erupting volcanoes that slowly leak the gas throughout the year.
The effects of sulfur dioxide in humans can be very harmful and are brought on when breathed in. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing, and can even lead to corneal haze, circulatory collapse, or heart failure. It is highly toxic to humans and should contact should definitely be avoided at all costs wherever possible.
Hopefully, with the help of these discoveries, environmental agencies can now carry out further research and development to try and combat the fight against pollution and discover new ways and techniques that can actually help save the planet.
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