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In this research were going to investigate what are the consequences of the
pollution caused by the municipal wastes in the health of the population. First we
need to define what municipal wastes is, municipal wastes also known as garbage
is all type of solid waste generated by households and commercial establishments.
We wanted to know how our health condition is affected by the pollution caused by
the garbage, for example; conditions like allergies or diseases are related to this
problem. We are going to focus on Mexicali, since it is known as one of the most
contaminated cities in Mexico and sometimes they said that from the world, so we
wanted to see if that was truth and from this theory see if the garbage from
Mexicali affects our health.
Mexicali has the problem of burning the trash, and in the past months the municipal
wastes center has burn over 3 times, and this a big problem since it pollutes the
atmosphere or the environment but also it hurt us and this is the problem were
investigating.
Were going to use statistics about health conditions in another cities and
compared it to Mexicali conditions. Also were going to present in this paper a
survey about what the population thinks about the relation about burning garbage
and the allergies and diseases commonly found in the areas.
Index......2
Introduction...3
Body......5
Conclusion..............................................................................19
Bibliography.20
Body
As the timeline of garbage history suggests there has been a problem of trash from
man's earliest time that cause pollution. Four basic means of dealing with trash
have been used over and over in history:
1. Dumping
2. Burning
3. Recycling
4. Waste minimization
Pollution is not a new phenomenon. In fact, pollution has been a problem since the
appearance of our earliest ancestors (Markham, 1994). Increasing human
populations have opened the door to more bacteria and disease. During the Middle
Ages, diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever broke out all across Europe.
These epidemics were directly related to unsanitary conditions caused by human
and animal wastes, and garbage.
The first municipal dump in western world was organized in Athens, Greece there
were regulations required to dump at least a mile from the city limits.
A new technology called "the Destructor" provided the first systematic incineration
of refuse in Nottingham, England.
Until this time, much of the burning was accidental; a result of methane production
but it was built in USA on Governor's Island in NY in 1885. By the turn of the
century the garbage problem was seen as one of the greatest problems for local
authorities and there were about 300 incinerators in the US for burning trash later
in 1914.
People most susceptible to severe health problems from air pollution are:
Particulate Matter is a complex mixture that may contain soot, smoke, metals,
nitrates, sulfates, dust, water and tire rubber. It can be directly emitted, as in smoke
from a fire, or it can from reactions of gases such as nitrogen oxides.
Scientific studies have linked long-term particle pollution, especially fine particles,
with significant health problems including:
Even if you are healthy, you may experience temporary symptoms, such as:
The disposal of solid wastes has become a serious problem almost everywhere in
the world. In general the more affluent a society, the more solid waste it generates.
Technologically-advanced civilizations tend to produce many wastes that are not
biodegradable, further complicating the disposal problem. With each succeeding
decade, Mexico faces greater and more complex challenges in managing its solid
waste.
In Mexico there are collected 86,000 343 daily tons of garbage, can you imagine all
that crap? That is, 770 grams per person and are generated mainly in:
Housing
Buildings
Streets and avenues
Parks and gardens
In terms of weight, the vast majority of solid waste is produced by the agricultural
sector.
Municipal solid waste includes waste from most commercial establishments and
many small industrial operations. Mexicos urban waste exceeds 36 million tons a
year, three times the equivalent figure for Canada. Many municipalities in Mexico
have initiated recycling programs, primarily focused on aluminum, glass, certain
plastics and paper. However, in 2008 only 3.3% of Mexicos total urban waste was
recycled. Waste from larger towns and cities, about half of the total, is deposited in
properly operated sanitary landfills. Waste from smaller communities often ends up
in dumps, two thirds of which are uncontrolled.
Mexicali
Since the origination of Mexicali, Baja California this city has been an industrial
area. From its origins in the industrial revolution, Mexicali creates emissions that
have been eroded ozone layer slowly. Over the years the pollution in Mexicali has
grown to be one of the most polluted cities in the country.
Baja California is growing at a rate of 2.23 percent per year, which indicates that to
continue with this growth rate, the population could double in about 31.4 years. In
Baja California we are 3'1555,070 habitants, representing 2.81% of the population
of the country, which according to Population and housing census INEGI, are
112'322,357 habitants in Mexico.
In 2013, the UNO identified Mexicali as the most polluted city in Mexico, and third
worldwide. The classification is retained at least in part related to Mexico.
Ozone (O3) can irritate the respiratory system, causing coughing, throat
irritation cause and / or a feeling of tightness in the chest.
Carbon monoxide (CO) can reduce the body oxygenation (hypoxia).
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) causes irritation or chronic respiratory mucous
membranes and acute inflammation.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) can cause problems olfactory perception, respiratory
distress, acute respiratory pain and pulmonary edema.
Lead (Pb) is particularly damaging in fetal brain development in children and
in pregnant women.
Particulate matter (PM): The particles larger than 10 microns are retained
mainly in the upper respiratory tract and eliminated mostly by the natural
cleaning system of the respiratory tract, so they are not considered
significantly harmful to health, without But continuous exposure to high
concentrations of this material can cause sore throat and mucous
membranes.
The problems faced in the city of Mexicali caused by the waste produced, are
economic and environmental nature. Among the environmental problems, is the
direct damage of soil, water and air.
The soil is affected by different issues; that are daily produced more than a
thousand tons, it causes a large land area for the containment of this waste
is necessary; not to mention the question of the cultural aspects of the
region are conducive that much of the waste generated does not end
properly in landfills, if not in vacant lots, streets, canals, or simply in places
which do not have direct care, as could be abandoned homes or
establishments
Water is mainly damaged due to improper storage of waste, since we can
find contaminated by wastes of all kinds channels, which causes the water
from these channels is of great danger to living beings that make use of this;
from animals or plants to the case to humans.
The throw to polluting waste drainage, although they are not solid, as are
those petroleum products, they also provide damage to the quality of
wastewater, which prevents proper treatment for reuse.
The air is mainly attacked by two factors; one is the application of the
method of incineration of waste to get rid of these and exposure of the
waste directly into the atmosphere.
Burning waste is a practice currently still used by the inhabitants of the
region as a method of disposal of waste; thereby causing damage directly to
the atmosphere the gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
Direct to the atmosphere, exposure is a matter in which most of the garbage
from the city is, because from the trash located in inappropriate places, such
as vacant lots or abandoned houses, even in the landfill the municipality, is
found in direct exposure to air, therefore the gases emitted by the
decomposition of this waste, pollute directly into the atmosphere.
The social aspects are also covered in the environmental field, since society
is a part of the environment in which we live.
Garbage collection:
In the state are collected on average 2,725 tons per day of municipal solid waste or
waste generated in homes, parks, gardens and public buildings, mainly
representing 3% of the national harvest.
In Tijuana, a municipality with almost half of the state population, 43% of all waste
(1,163 tons) it is collected; Mexicali collects 725 tons (27%), Ensenada 620 (22%),
Tecate and Rosarito Beach, altogether, 217 (8 percent). According to some
investigation each person produces 1 kilogram or 1 and a half kilogram per day.
Type of waste collection:
The separation of municipal solid waste from its origin is important because it
facilitates the recovery and recycling of materials, reducing consumption and
pressure on natural resources involved in its production and extending the life of
disposal sites, mainly. However, nationally only 11% of the collected waste is
separated or segregated from the generating source; while in Baja California are
not separated or segregated waste collected.
All municipalities in Baja California have the services of collection and disposal of
waste; one (Mexicali), where almost 30% of the population, treatment is given at
least a portion of their waste causing then problems with pollution.
Pollution in Mexicali:
If the value is 0, it means it is perceived as very low, and if the value is 100, it
means it is perceived as very high.
Most of the pollution in Mexicali, is not produce by vehicles, but by the land where
is located the city, surrounded by desert and farmland, besides the unpaved
streets, then the huge amount of industry and commerce without any
environmental control and to top a lot of people like to burn fireworks, wood, tires
and trash. And municipal authorities are giving permits for the sale of rockets and
allowing its detonation, or said that they didnt see someone burning trash because
for them its the Mexican tradition.
We made some inquiry in the internet. These are the results:
Conclusion
We believe that to put into practice what the "3 R"; we should look at the products
we buy and see if they are recyclable after a process, lower consumption of
products that take many years to degrade. People do everything possible to not
generate much garbage, and reuse things that can be, the government should do
campaigns for society to participate helping to clean the streets and bring products
that can be recycled to places where they know what to do with those materials.
Pollution in Mexicali, especially trash and waste related pollution, has become an
increasing problem for current generations, taking lots of space and money for its
recycling, one of the solutions we propose is to train and teach people to handle
wastes better. Having instructed people in how to manage wastes, what is
recyclable and what would contaminate if its incinerated will reduce the amount of
negative effects on our environment. Our second proposal is to invest in the
modernization of waste treatment process, to reduce costs of treating wastes.
Mexicali is an industrial city, but the waste treating process are not industrialized,
they are still quite rudimentary and that is what is affecting and preventing the city
to have better programs. Recycling is good, but it is not the entire solution to the
problem, we need better management, better process and better administration of
wastes and municipal dumpsters. Society needs to become aware of the problem,
and we are getting there, we also need to force industries into using ecofriendly
processes. This way we can start saving our city from what we are turning it into.
For 200 years we've been conquering Nature. Now we're beating it to death.
Bibliography