It could be hardly denied that the contemporary state of environmental health and the environment at large is immensely worrying. Numerous factors are contributing to the aggravation of the situation. These factors include but are not limited to the emissions of toxic gases that reinforce the “greenhouse effect,” the excessive use of natural resources, rapid urbanization, etc. However, one of the most evident threats to the environment is represented by pollution. It could be stated that pollution comes in various forms because technological progress has brought many changes in terms of interaction between people and nature.
The following varieties of pollution could be observed: air pollution (including previously mentioned toxic gases and carbon emissions by cars and factories), water pollution, which is also largely caused by industrial plants and other factors and even sound pollution, the term which is referred to the increasing level of noise in the cities. The article by Nieuwenhuijsen provides an important insight into the current state of the environment, with a specific focus on air pollution in urban areas. Modern cities are characterized by the immense amount of vehicles as well as hazardous workplaces where people are exposed to polluted air. According to Nieuwenhuijsen, such exposure is one of the primary reasons for the development of such diseases as “lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory infections and decreased lung function among children, and mortality.” Therefore, it could be concluded that the current influence of the pollution on environment results in numerous adverse consequences, and thus it has to be decreased.