Many people dream of living in an environmentally friendly environment. However, not everyone has the opportunity to settle in a place where the air is filled with freshness. Most have to breathe in dirty city air, which causes irreparable harm to the body. This problem is especially urgent for residents of industrial cities. The many factories that emit harmful substances into the atmosphere, the mass of cars that emit exhaust gases cannot but affect the health of the population. Why is the city air so dangerous?

First of all, a bad environmental situation negatively affects the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. People who regularly inhale harmful airborne particles develop hypertonic disease... Research shows that even 10 weeks of exposure to hazardous substances is enough to predispose people to hypertension.

Polluted air contains substances that, when they enter the body of young people, provoke the development of various cardiovascular diseases. The risk of developing myocardial infarction increases significantly, inflammatory diseases heart, leading to massive cell death of this vital organ.

During the combustion of coal, microparticles of soot enter the air. Penetrating into the body, they often cause the development of venous thrombosis. In the veins lower limbs blood clots form. Breaking off, they migrate with the bloodstream in the body, leading to pulmonary embolism. This disease often becomes the cause of death of a person.

Ultrafine particles contained in dirty air easily enter the human body. They can cause increased platelet production. These elements are responsible for blood clotting. However, with increased formation, they become the cause of plaque formation in the blood vessels. This disrupts the normal blood flow to the heart muscle. As a result, oxygen starvation appears, blood circulation is impaired.

The polluted air negatively affects the body of people suffering from diabetes mellitus, bronchial asthma, chronic diseases of internal organs. Polluted air affects the blood, changing its physical and chemical properties, composition. Regular inhalation of harmful particles causes disruption of protein, water and carbohydrate metabolism. Decay products remain in the body in large quantities, their gradual accumulation leads to disruptions in the functioning of internal organs and systems. Dirty air affects the appearance of a person. The skin loses its elasticity, becomes dry, and becomes covered with wrinkles. Young people look much older than their biological age.

Disturbed metabolism cannot but lead to disruption of the endocrine glands. The result is hormonal disorders that cause various diseases. Most often, the thyroid gland suffers.

Polluted air negatively affects the general condition of a person. With regular inhalation of hazardous microparticles, rapid fatigue, frequent headaches, hearing and visual impairments, decreased mental performance, a tendency to frequent allergic reactions and colds are noted.

Today, there are devices that are used to purify indoor air. They are able to blow air through the system of filter elements, thereby clearing it of harmful impurities. Depending on the technical characteristics air purifiers have various degrees of purification. Cheap devices remove only large mechanical particles from the air (household dust, animal hair, poplar fluff). In the more expensive and improved models, the function of neutralization of particles of exhaust gases, tobacco smoke and other harmful impurities is provided.

Various filter elements are used in household appliances. HEPA filters allow you to clean the air from mechanical impurities. Activated carbon neutralizes unpleasant odors in room. The electrostatic filter collects particles of smoke, tar, dust. The photocatalytic filter breaks down harmful substances to harmless ones (under the influence of ultraviolet radiation).

Household cleaners are very effective, the filter element of which is water. Such a device perfectly cleans the air, humidifies it, makes it lighter and fresher. Devices that combine the functions of purification, humidification and air ionization have proven their effectiveness. Negative ions that are released into the atmosphere have a positive effect on the health of people suffering from diseases of the respiratory, cardiovascular and nervous systems. They strengthen the human immune system.

The choice of air purifiers is wide enough. People who care about their health should definitely purchase such a device. After all, clean air is a guarantee of good health.

Introduction ………………………………………………………………………….3

Chapter 1. Hazardous areas ………………………………… ... 4

1.1 Street …………………………………………………………………… .. 4

1.2 Modern dwelling ………………………………………………… ... 4

1.3 Places of congestion of people ……………………………………………… ... 5

1.4 Transport ……………………………………………………………… .. 6

Chapter 2. Negative impact of the urban environment …………………. 7

2.1 Man-made hazards …………………………………………… ...... 7

2.2 Environmental hazards ………………………………………………. 8

2.3 Social hazards …………………………………………… ...... 12

Chapter 3. Security system ………………………… 14

Conclusion ………………………………………………………………........16

Bibliography ………………………………………………………...17

Introduction.

On the present stage development, the problems of big cities are acutely faced by mankind.

The city, as an artificial habitat created by man, differs significantly from the natural environment. If in nature a person is faced with the influence of external natural conditions, then in a society, the most complex phenomenon of which is the city, external influences come primarily from people or from the circumstances caused by them.

The city includes components, which include natural components (relief, climate, water, flora and fauna), an artificially created component - the technosphere (industrial enterprises, transport, residential buildings) and an obligatory part of the urban environment - the population.

Over the course of a long historical development in cities, humans have formed a special habitat. In the process of life, a person is inextricably linked with the urban environment, making up an interacting system with it. This interaction gives both positive (comfort of life) and negative results. The negative result of human interaction with the city is determined by the dangers - negative impacts that suddenly arise, periodically or constantly acting in the “person - urban environment” system.

A positive result determines that the city, as an artificial habitat created by man, allows a person to depend to a lesser extent than before on extreme natural factors. The city provides ample opportunities for improving the comfort of living conditions, for the development of the spiritual and creative activity of each person.

In connection with the special role of cities in the development of mankind, the question arises of how to do so in order to maximize the positive and minimize the negative effects of the city on a person. The solution to this issue will be the goal of this work. To solve this issue, it is necessary to determine the zones of increased danger in the city, to talk about the negative impacts of the urban environment on a person, their consequences and ways of dealing with them. And the same indicate the services included in the city's security system.

Chapter 1. Zones of increased danger.

Knowing and taking into account areas of increased danger allows you to predict the development of a possible extreme situation, provide for appropriate rules of behavior and thereby ensure your safety.

1.1. Street

This danger zone includes non-residential buildings, backyards, deserted streets, vacant lots, alleys.

At later, at night, it is better to bypass such dangerous places: let the path be lengthened, but the degree of danger will decrease. But if you had to walk along a side street, you need to stay close to the edge of the sidewalk and away from dark entrances, where a sudden intruder can drag you. You should walk with a confident look, holding an umbrella or a lantern in your hands, just in case.

Walking along the highway, you must keep to the side where the traffic is moving towards you - this way you will not be able to be dragged into a car that has pulled up from behind.

Whenever possible, you should try to avoid contact with anyone. When there is a threat of attack, it is best to flee. If it was not possible to escape, one must fight back using the available means at hand for self-defense. Having become a victim of a robber, rapist, you should try to remember his face, clothes and other signs and immediately report it to the police.

Also, on the street, you should carefully look at only on the sides, but also at your feet. City roads and sidewalks can become slippery for a number of reasons and, as a result, appear big number injured people, especially the elderly.

1.2 Modern dwelling.

In the city, even the houses themselves are potentially dangerous, especially multi-storey ones, from the roofs of which icicles are torn down in winter and spring, and various objects can fall out of windows and balconies.

Entrances and elevators are also dangerous. apartment buildings where attacks are most common. In order not to become a victim of them, certain precautions should be taken:

You should not enter the staircase, elevator with strangers, suspicious people;

Once alone with a stranger in the elevator, you should immediately go out;

When attacking, you need to call for help, call someone's door.

Modern dwelling- the focus of various networks of communal and individual household services. In a modern well-maintained apartment, a closed, branching electrical wiring has been laid, water supply, heating and sewerage networks have been laid. for the disposal of various household waste. Many kitchens are equipped with gas stoves, which are supplied with gas through pipelines. In these conditions, a variety of extreme situations are possible. All pipelines in which, as a result of long-term operation, exposure to the environment, corrodes and wears out. Sometimes it is not at all necessary to be a specialist in order to deal with a particular situation, to try to prevent serious consequences.

Flooding.

Each section of the pipeline has a central, intermediate and terminal taps (valves). In the event of a water leak from the tap, it is necessary to close the intermediate valve, and in the event of a serious accident, close the central valve, which is usually located in the basement of the entrance, and the terminal and intermediate taps in the apartment. The same should be done in case of a heating system failure. All emergency cases must be reported to the house management, call specialists and try to prevent severe flooding of the apartment, since flooding can lead to a short circuit in the electrical wiring, and this, in turn, to electric shock and fire in the house.

Fire.

This situation is easier to prevent than to deal with its consequences. In the event of a fire, it is necessary to localize the fire source by preventing air from reaching the fire. If a fire broke out due to a short circuit in the electrical wiring, turn off the distribution electrical switch located on the staircase of each floor, then, if possible, turn off the central entrance switch. Next, you need to call the fire brigade and start extinguishing the fire with the available means at hand (water, sand, etc.). The main thing in this situation is to notify the neighbors of the fire and save the people caught in the fire.

Destruction of the building.

This extreme situation can occur as a result of an explosion or due to destruction building structures... In this situation, it is necessary to show determination, courage, and most importantly endurance, to properly organize the rescue of people, to prevent panic (people who are often in a panic state rush out of the windows of the upper floors). With the destruction of buildings, flooding, fire, and electrical wiring can also occur. In any case, the most important thing in this situation is to organize the rescue of people, especially from the upper floors.

1.3. Crowded places.

Crowded places, where it is easy for criminals to commit crimes and hide, are areas of increased danger. It can be train stations, parks, cinemas, places of various festivities, underground passages, etc. .

At train stations, a criminal can hide, getting lost among people, having sat down any train. With their crowds, the stations attract mainly thieves and swindlers, "homeless people", since among a large number of people there are always simpletons who are easy to deceive. While at the station, the following rules of safe behavior should be observed:

Do not leave things unattended;

Do not trust your belongings, luggage to strangers;

Do not exchange large bills for smaller ones without special need;

In order not to become a victim of deception, you should not play various lotteries, "thimbles", take part in draws and sweepstakes. After waiting a few minutes and looking closely at who is constantly playing and winning, you can personally make sure that these are the same faces.

Parks- favorite gathering places for young people, teenagers, various companies, places for drinking alcoholic beverages, and a person in a state of intoxication loses control over himself, attracts robbers and criminals of all stripes. It is easy for a criminal to hide in the park, so you should not go into secluded wilderness places, you should stay near people.

City Markets are also areas of increased danger. These are possible places of congestion of thieves, robbers, swindlers. Here, too, it is easy for a criminal to hide, getting lost in the crowd.

At later, at night, it is better to bypass the still dangerous places: let the path be lengthened, but the degree of danger will decrease. Whenever possible, you should try to avoid contact with anyone. When there is a threat of attack, it is best to flee. If this is not possible, then all available means at hand must be used for self-defense. Having become a victim of a robber, rapist, you should try to remember his faces, clothes and other signs and immediately report to the police.

1.4 Transport.

All people, regardless of age and position, use different types of vehicles. But not everyone thinks about the fact that modern transport is a zone of increased danger. A feature of modern transport is its high energy saturation. The most energy-intensive types of transport are trams, trolleybuses, metro and railways.

Automobile transport firmly entered the category of the most dangerous. car accident (disaster) is one of the main causes of death in a modern city. In most cases, a car accident occurs due to non-observance of elementary safety measures and traffic rules, as well as due to insufficient information about the consequences of any violation of road safety rules. For example, few people know that a collision with a fixed obstacle at a speed of 50 km / h without a seat belt is tantamount to jumping face down from the 4th floor.

About 75% of all accidents in road transport occur due to violations of traffic rules by drivers. The most dangerous types of violations are still speeding, ignoring road signs, going into oncoming traffic and driving while intoxicated.

Bad roads (mainly slippery ones), malfunctioning cars (in the first place - brakes, in the second - steering, in the third - wheels and tires) often lead to accidents. The peculiarity of car accidents is that 80% of the wounded die in the first 3 hours due to profuse blood loss.

A lot of traffic accidents are caused by pedestrians. One of the reasons for road accidents involving pedestrians is the misbehavior of pedestrians on the carriageway and incorrect prediction of the nature of their behavior by the driver. The following main violations of the rules of behavior by pedestrians and driver errors that led to the occurrence of an accident can be distinguished:

Unexpected exit pedestrian on the carriageway;

Crossing the carriageway outside the pedestrian crossing;

Collision with a pedestrian "rushing" along the carriageway in the traffic. This is due to the fact that a pedestrian who is between streams of moving cars is very frightened, and his behavior is chaotic and defies reasonable logic;

Distracting the driver's attention while performing a maneuver.

Human. traveling in transport should also take some precautions that can reduce the risk of injury in the event of an ARI:

In the event of an accident, safety is guaranteed by a stable, fixed position of the body - while sitting in a chair, bend forward and put your crossed arms on the chair in front, hold your tongue in your hands, move your legs forward, but do not push it under the chair, as a broken chair can injure your legs;

When falling, group, cover your head with your hands. Do not try to stop the fall by grasping the handrail or anything else. This leads to dislocations and fractures;

Do not fall asleep while driving - there is a danger of injury when maneuvering or sudden braking;

If a fire breaks out in the cabin, immediately inform the driver about it;

In the event of an accident, open the doors with the emergency door opener button. If this fails, break the side windows;

If possible, extinguish the fire yourself with a fire extinguisher located in the cabin;

After getting out of the burning salon, immediately start helping others.

Underground Is a huge artificial system, a well-coordinated working mechanism.

extreme situations in the metro can occur:

On the escalator;

On the platform;

In a train carriage.

The most dangerous thing is to violate the rules for using the metro on the escalator:

Hold the handrail while the escalator is moving;

Do not put luggage on the handrail, but hold it in your hands;

Don't run on the escalator;

Don't sit on the steps of the escalator;

Use the emergency brake lever if a passenger has spilled luggage, hesitated when exiting an escalator, or gets stuck in a gap between steps.

Extreme situations on the platform are rare, but it is still better not to come close to the edge of the platform. Someone on the run may accidentally push you, you

you yourself can slip; when boarding, the crowd can push a person into the opening between the cars.

If your train is in the tunnel due to a heating or technical problem on the line, first of all, stay calm and follow all orders of the metro workers.

Chapter 2. Negative impacts of the urban environment.

Solving the problems of achieving comfortable and material security, a person continuously influences the urban environment with his activities and products of activity, generating man-made, ecological and social dangers.

2.1. Technogenic hazards.

Technogenic hazards are created by elements of the technosphere - machines, structures, substances, etc. as a result of erroneous or unauthorized actions of a person or groups of people.

In large, and even more so in the largest cities, the historically formed floorboard is still preserved. functional areas industrial utilities, residential. The number of victims from accidents (disasters) in transport, industrial and other facilities is growing. Transport accidents (disasters) are described in detail in the previous chapter, therefore, below we will consider industrial accidents.

Industrial accidents(catastrophes) arise as a result of a sudden failure of parts, mechanisms, machines and assemblies or through human negligence and can be accompanied by serious violations production process, explosions, catastrophic flooding, the formation of hotbeds of fire, radioactive, chemical contamination of the area, injury and death of people. Particularly dangerous are accidents (catastrophes) at potentially hazardous production facilities: fire hazardous, explosive, hydrodynamically hazardous, chemically hazardous, radiation hazardous. At industrial facilities, emissions into the atmosphere or the spill of potent toxic substances are possible. There are no guarantees against radiation damage to people associated with possible accidents at nuclear power plants or military facilities with nuclear weapons. It is at these facilities that accidents (catastrophes) most often occur, accompanied by significant material losses, disruption of living conditions, injury and death of people.

A person is exposed to significant man-made hazards when entering the coverage area technical systems, which include highways, radiation zones of radio and television transmission systems, industrial zones. The levels of hazardous exposure to humans in this case are determined by the characteristics of technical systems and the duration of a person's stay in the hazardous area.

The technogenic activity of cities and the associated modifications of the human environment have led to the need for a closer study of the ecological problem. As a result of environmental problems in industrial cities, the health of the population is deteriorating, the level of morbidity and mortality increases, and life expectancy is reduced.

There are measures for the rational organization of territories, taken in order to improve the ecological situation:

Technological (transition to more advanced, "clean" technologies);

Technical (improvement of devices for cleaning discharges into water bodies and emissions into the atmosphere);

Structural (closure and removal of polluting industries outside the city and, conversely, the development of industries that are environmentally relevant for it);

Architectural planning (organization of industrial zones, creation of sanitary protection gaps).

2.2 Environmental hazards.

Cities are increasingly becoming places of little use for healthy life people, and all living things in general.

Ecological problems cities, mainly the largest of them, are associated with an excessive concentration of population, transport, and industrial enterprises in relatively small areas, with the formation of anthropogenic landscapes, which are very far from the state of ecological balance.

The vegetation cover of cities is usually almost entirely represented by "cultural plantings" - parks, squares, lawns, flower beds, alleys. It happens that vegetation also plays a negative role - in the pursuit of fast-growing and beautiful plants that tolerate the conditions of an urban environment, a large number of ornamental plants are brought in, which can cause various allergic reactions in townspeople.

Birds, rodents, insects and microorganisms, which are carriers and sources of diseases, also cause a lot of troubles.

And yet, the greatest danger lies in poor-quality drinking water, polluted air, poor-quality food, elevated level radioactivity, strong exposure to electromagnetic waves.

Today ¾ of the population of developed countries and almost half of the inhabitants of developing countries live in industrial centers. If in 1950 there were only 5 cities in the world with a population of more than 5 million people (totaling 48 million people), then in 1890 there were 36 such cities with a total number of 252 million inhabitants.In 2000, there were already about 60 cities with a population of over 5 million with a total population of 650 million. The growth rate of the world's population is 1.5 - 2.0 times lower than the growth of the urban population, which today includes 40% of the world's people.

The millionaire city receives about 29 million (excluding water and air) of various substances per year, which, during transportation, processing, give a significant amount of waste, some of which enter the atmosphere, the other part, together with wastewater, into water bodies and underground aquifers. horizons, another part in the form of solid waste into the soil.

Atmospheric air.

Scientists believe that every year thousands of deaths in cities around the world are associated with air pollution. Air pollution is caused by up to 30% common diseases population of industrial centers. Over large cities, the atmosphere contains 10 times more aerosols and 25 times more gases, among which the most widespread are carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. With a high content of gases and dust (soot) in the air and stagnant air over the industrial areas of cities, smog is formed. Smog is especially dangerous in the case of air pollution with sulfur dioxide. It affects the human respiratory system and reduces its resistance to the action of other harmful impurities in the air (smoke, soil, asphalt and asbestos dust). At the same time, 60-70% of gas pollution is provided by road transport. The car has become one of the main culprits in urban pollution. Up to 10 kg of rubber snout is released into the air from each car every year from tire wear. And how much poisonous substances are emitted from the exhaust pipe, how much oxygen is absorbed by the car engine and carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are released. Lead in car exhaust emissions can cause brain damage and mental retardation in children.

District heating pipelines emit up to 1/5 of the heat passing through them. Heat transfer from factories and plants, furnaces and boiler houses, different mechanisms and devices also contributes to the heating of the air basin of cities, from these industries 2/5 of the energy of all burned fuel comes into the air. With low air mobility, thermal anomalies over the city cover atmospheric layers of 250 - 400 m, and temperature contrasts can reach 5 - 6 ° C. It is not surprising that smoke domes with low air humidity are formed over large cities and high humidity air and high temperature. The number of condensation centers (10 times) and fogs (2 times) increases. Every fourth disease of city dwellers is associated with urban air pollution, and its saturation with carbon dioxide is such that inhalation of it for several hours can disrupt the activity of the brain. Domestic air is no less serious danger to human health. According to scientists who compared the air in apartments with polluted city air, it turned out that the air in the rooms is 4-6 times dirtier and 8-10 times more toxic. It is caused by exposure lead white, linoleum, plastic, synthetic carpets, washing powders, furniture, which contains a lot of synthetic adhesive, polymers, paints, varnish, etc.

The main sources of indoor air pollution can be conditionally divided into four groups:

1. Substances entering the premises with polluted air.

2. Products of destruction of polymeric materials.

3. Anthropotoxins (human waste products).

4. Combustion products household gas and household activities.

Drinking water. Cities consume 10 or more times more water per person than rural areas, and water pollution reaches catastrophic proportions. The volume of wastewater reaches 1 m3 per day per person. Therefore, almost all large cities experience a shortage of water resources, and many of them receive water from remote sources.

Despite the fact that a person cannot live more than 9 days without water, it is water that is an important cause of cardiovascular disease, malignant neoplasms. Rather, not water itself, but toxic substances dissolved in it.

A special problem is water pollution with detergents - complex chemical compounds that are part of synthetic detergents. Detergents are difficult to clean, and usually up to 50-60% of their initial amount gets into water bodies.

Among the industrial waste discharged into water, in addition to organic compounds, the most dangerous for the body are salts of many heavy metals (cadmium, lead, aluminum, nickel, manganese, zinc, etc.). Even in low concentrations, they cause impairment of various functions. human body... High concentrations of heavy metal salts cause acute poisoning.

The unsatisfactory sanitary and technical condition of water supply facilities and networks in cities is the cause of secondary microbial contamination of drinking water during transportation through the distribution system. The reasons for this are the deterioration of water supply networks (50 percent or more), untimely elimination of accidents and leaks, and the lack of preventive disinfection of water pipelines.

Do not drink chlorinated water;

Use only water purified with high-performance purifiers or freeze-dried;

Drink only boiled water!

Radioactivity. In recent years, the most attention has been paid to the issue of the impact of radiation on humans and the environment. Speaking about the sources of background radiation in living quarters, it is advisable to dwell in more detail on the meaning of such a gas as radon. The radiation hazard is created, first of all, due to the inhalation of alpha-emitting aerosols from the decay products of radon and sodium. A person comes into contact with radon and thorium everywhere, but mainly in stone and brick houses, when using gas for cooking and heating, with water. A great danger is the ingress of water vapors with a high content of radon into the lungs together with the inhaled air, which most often occurs in the bathroom, where, as studies have shown, the concentration of radon is 3 times higher than in the kitchen and 40 times higher than in residential ones. rooms. Measures to preserve heat in winter time.

The danger of radon, in addition to the functional disorders it causes (shortness of breath, migraine, dizziness, nausea, depression, early aging, etc.), lies in the fact that due to internal irradiation of lung tissue, it can cause lung cancer.

In order to reduce the risk of radon exposure, it is necessary to carry out protective measures:

Ventilate the premises thoroughly;

Use special coatings for floors;

Replace gas stoves in apartments with electric ones;

Use proven materials for the construction of new homes.

Electromagnetic fields as an unfavorable factor in the environment of residential and public premises. As a result of many years of observations, it turned out that electromagnetic fields (EMF) pose a huge danger to health, since with prolonged exposure to a person they can cause cancer, leukemia, brain tumors, multiple sclerosis and other serious illnesses. EMF generated by various devices that generate, transmit and use electrical energy are a widespread and ever-increasing negative factor in the urban environment.

Currently, there are a huge number of EMF sources located both outside residential and public buildings (power lines, satellite communication stations, radio relay installations, TV transmission centers, open switchgears, electric vehicles, etc.) and indoors (TVs, VCRs , computers, cellular radiotelephones, household microwave ovens, etc.)

In cities, there is a significant change in the level of EMF intensity during the day: during the day during the operation of industrial and communal enterprises, it increases, by the evening it decreases. Daily fluctuations of artificial EMF dramatically change the electromagnetic environment of the city as a whole. Naturally, this does not pass without a trace for the residents of the city, many of whom are exposed to EMF in their workplaces. The main way to protect the population from the effects of external EMF in a residential area is distance protection, that is, there should be an appropriate sanitary protection zone between the EMF source and residential buildings. Another reliable way protection of the body from the harmful effects of EMF, the sources of which are Appliances and personal computers - time protection. That is, the operating time near such devices should be limited.

Noise in the living environment. Austrian experts have established that the life expectancy of a person due to the noise of large cities is reduced by 10-12 years. According to sanitary standards, the noise in the residential area should be no more than 60 dB, and at night - no more than 40 dB. The limiting value for noise that does not cause harmful effects is 100 dB. However, on busy streets, noise often reaches 120-125 dB. And just over the past decade, the noise in large cities of Russia has grown by 10-15 times.

The noisy "symphony" of the city is made up of many factors: railways and the roar of aircraft, the roar of construction equipment, etc. The most powerful chords in it sound the movement of vehicles, which against the general background gives up to 80% of the noise.

Noise seriously affects people's well-being and health. So, for many young people listening to loud music in the "rock" style, hearing can deteriorate forever. However, noise is not only harmful to hearing. Several studies show that noise can raise blood pressure and damage the cardiovascular system. Excessive noise makes it difficult for students to assimilate the material, becomes the cause of irritability, fatigue, and a decrease in labor productivity.

The high levels of noise generated by televisions and radios in the home have been shown to inhibit the development of sensory motor skills in children during the first two years of life. Constant exposure to loud sounds also hinders the development of speech and suppresses the exploratory instinct.

Statistics show that workers who are constantly in an atmosphere of noise are more likely to experience cardiac arrhythmias, disorders of the vestibular apparatus and other diseases. They often complain of fatigue and increased irritability.

Against a background of noise of about 70 dB, a person performing operations of medium complexity makes twice as many errors as in the absence of this background. It has also been established that perceptible noise reduces the performance of people engaged in mental work by more than one and a half times, and physical work - by almost a third.

Of course, a lot in the fight against noise depends on us. For example, if you work in noisy industries, it is advisable to wear sound-absorbing headphones. If there is a strong source of noise inside the building, the walls and ceiling can be covered with sound-absorbing material such as foam. If you live in a house located on a street with heavy traffic, then during rush hours you should close the windows facing the street and open the windows facing the courtyard. And, of course, do not turn on television and radio equipment at full power, especially in the evening and at night.

To reduce noise in a residential area, the following principles must be observed:

Place low-rise buildings near noise sources;

Build noise protection facilities in parallel with the transport highway;

Group residential properties into closed or semi-closed quarters;

Buildings that do not require noise (warehouses, garages, etc.) should be used as barriers to limit the propagation of noise.

Vibration in the home.

Vibration as a factor in the human environment, along with noise, refers to one of the types of its physical pollution, contributing to the deterioration of living conditions of the urban population.

Oscillations in buildings can be generated by external sources (underground and surface transport, industrial enterprises), in-house equipment of built-in trade enterprises and public utilities. Vibration in an apartment is often caused by the operation of the elevator. In some cases, perceptible vibration is observed during construction work carried out near residential buildings. Fluctuations of the floor, vibrations of walls, furniture, etc. regularly repeated after 1.5-2 minutes. disrupt the rest of residents, interfere with household chores, do not allow them to concentrate on mental work. People living in such houses experience increased irritability, sleep disturbance. The most susceptible to the negative effects of vibration are persons aged 31 to 40 years and with diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous system.

The most important direction in solving the problem of limiting the adverse effects of vibration in living conditions is the hygienic regulation of its permissible effects.

At present, we can confidently speak about the complex effect of a number of unfavorable factors, which led to a decrease in the defenses of the body of a city dweller and an increased susceptibility to various diseases. There is a connection between the geochemical structure of urban pollution and the state of health of the population, which can be traced at all stages - from the accumulation of pollutants and the emergence of immunobiological shifts in the body to an increase in morbidity. As a function of many variables, the health of the urban population is an integral indicator of the quality of the environment.

2.3 Social hazards.

An unfavorable social situation arises as a result of epidemics, the resolution of social, interethnic and religious conflicts by non-parliamentary means, the actions of bandit formations and groups, which leads to disruption of the normal life of the population, death of people, destruction and destruction of material and cultural values.

The consequences of an unfavorable social situation in cities can be very different: from the emergence of hazardous living conditions during an epidemic to destruction, fires, the emergence of extensive foci of chemical, biological, radiation contamination, mass death of people during military operations, during public unrest, committed terrorist attack.

The accumulation of people in cities is a fertile ground for the emergence of interpersonal and group conflicts, deterioration of the criminal situation, increased danger to human life and health. The number of delinquencies, terrorist attacks, riots is growing from year to year. The growth rate of crime in cities is 4 times faster than the growth rate of population in them

A radical and sometimes painful reform of practically all spheres of life has given rise to a number of phenomena in cities that are becoming serious criminogenic factors. Among them:

Economic instability;

Increase in the unemployment rate;

Strengthening the stratification of the population by income level;

Change at the level of state policy of ideological attitudes in

relation to property, means of production and psychological

the unwillingness of many people to accept these changes;

Lack of power;

The manifestation of bureaucracy and the spread of corruption in the state

apparatus.

This obviously explains the high growth rates crime in recent years and, in particular, the increased incidence of mass antisocial manifestations, often accompanied by grave consequences (murders, bodily harm, arson, pogroms, destruction of property, disobedience to the authorities).

Serious social irritant and criminogenic factor are refugees, which are mainly concentrated in cities. Many of them, unable to cope with the difficulties, begin to raise funds for their living by illegal means, engaging in theft, robbery, robberies and often organizing criminal associations for this purpose.

It is in large cities that various informal youth associations- metalheads, punks, fans, rockers, skinheads. Under certain conditions, these groups of young people can pose a real danger to the people around them, and this should be taken into account in everyday life. Informal associations are the main actors in the violation public order in public places, that is, in riots. One of the types of mass disorder - mass pogroms associated with violence, arson, destruction of property, the use of firearms, explosives or explosive devices with the provision of armed resistance to representatives of the authorities.

Another kind - mass spectacles, also always fraught with explosive danger. This applies to the greatest extent to rock music concerts, when the ecstasy of listeners, often drugged with drugs, leads to sad consequences. Enough a large number of fans are killed in stadiums, despite the security measures taken. Religious holidays are also often accompanied by human sacrifice. Demonstrations, political demonstrations, and national holidays are also potentially dangerous events.

The high degree of public danger of participants in mass performances is due to the fact of the existence of a difficult, controllable large gathering of people, the facts of damage to property and harm to the health of citizens (and sometimes death), the disorganization of the activities of the authorities and administration.

From the above, we can conclude that any riots cause material and physical harm, disorganize the life of society.

A real threat to security in modern society has become terrorism... Terrorism in any form of its manifestation has become one of the most dangerous in scale, unpredictability and consequences of socio-political and moral problems. Basically, any forms of manifestation of terrorism more threaten the security of large cities and their population, entail huge political, economic and moral losses, exerting strong psychological pressure on people and claiming more and more lives of innocent citizens.

Chapter 3. Security system.

Having considered the sources of danger in a modern city, it is necessary to name the services that help people cope with emergencies. Speaking about the city security system, it is necessary to emphasize that there are city and district services.

Security services in the city:

Fire protection service (fire brigade)

Law enforcement service (police)

Health service (ambulance)

Gas service

the main task fire service - having found the fire source, localize it, save people in trouble and, of course, put out the fire. Firefighters use fire trucks of different purpose: main, special and auxiliary. For each fire engine, a combat crew is assigned, consisting of a commander, a driver and firefighters. Combat crews on the main and special vehicles are called a squad. A squad built by a tanker, auto-pump, or pump-and-arm truck is the primary tactical unit fire department... The latter is capable of independently performing tasks of extinguishing a fire, rescuing people, protecting and evacuating material assets.

The police are called upon to ensure the protection of public order, personal and other property, rights and legitimate interests of citizens, enterprises, organizations and institutions from criminal encroachments and other antisocial actions. The most important tasks police are prevention and suppression of crimes and other antisocial actions, prompt and complete disclosure of crimes, all possible assistance to eliminate the causes of crimes and other offenses.

Ensuring the safety of traffic and pedestrians on the streets and roads. entrusted to the road patrol service (DPS). The activities of the traffic police are aimed at carrying out measures to prevent and reduce the severity of road injuries, suppress offenses in the field of road safety and are built in accordance with the principles of legality, humanism, respect for human rights and transparency.

Among the main tasks of the traffic police:

Supervision of observance of traffic rules;

Traffic regulation;

Participation in the maintenance of public order and the fight against crime;

Implementation of urgent actions on the road transport site

incidents, assistance to victims and their evacuation to

medical institutions;

Transportation of damaged vehicles from the accident scene.

Emergency has a team of doctors of various specialties, well-trained auxiliary personnel, a fleet of maneuverable cars. The main task of this service is to provide medical assistance to the victim and, if necessary, deliver him to the nearest medical institution. Modern medical equipment makes it possible to assess the condition of the victim (patient) in a qualified manner and help him in time.

The main task of the emergency gas service is to detect and eliminate gas leaks resulting from emergency or related to misuse gas equipment.

It is very important, in case of an accident or a dangerous situation, to remember correctly the order of calling the appropriate service:

1. Pick up the phone and dial desired number.

2. Inform the reason for the call.

3. State your first and last name.

4. Inform where to arrive and phone number.

District utilities include: water supply, electricity supply, gasification system, road service. In addition, each district is divided into micro-districts, where elevator services, services for electric networks, heating networks and sewerage networks operate under the operational departments. Ensuring life safety is a fairly broad concept, this system should also include the sanitary and epidemic service, the water rescue service, the regional headquarters for civil defense and emergency situations. The courts and the prosecutor's office are guarding the honor and dignity of citizens, their property and housing inviolability.

Conclusion.

Thus, analyzing the role of the city in human life, we see that human life in a modern city is potentially dangerous. Even without being born, while in the womb, a person is exposed to constantly existing and operating dangers of various kinds. And from the moment of birth, the dangers threaten the life and health of city dwellers much more in comparison with rural dwellers. This is due to the fact that human activity, aimed at transforming nature and creating a comfortable artificial habitat, which is a city, often causes unforeseen consequences. All human actions and all components of the urban environment (primarily technical means and technologies) have the ability to generate, along with positive properties and results, hazardous and harmful factors. In this case, a new positive result, as a rule, is accompanied by a new potential danger.

Therefore, ensuring safety in a modern city of life is the main task for urban residents, enterprises, organizations and institutions. The solution to the problem of ensuring the safety of life is to ensure normal (comfortable) conditions for the activities of people, to protect a person and his environment (urban, residential, industrial) from the effects of harmful factors exceeding the normative acceptable levels... We can say that the task of ensuring the safety of human life in a city as an environment is not to eliminate existing dangers, but to reduce the potential level of hazards and reduce the consequences of their actions. Realized in space and time, the dangers of the city threaten not only an individual, but also one or another social group.

How can you achieve security? The first and foremost way is to raise awareness among the people. Parents from childhood are obliged to teach the child to behave correctly in dangerous situations on the street, in public transport, when communicating with strangers, interacting with dangerous objects and poisonous objects and poisonous substances. To actively contribute to the formation of the foundations of an ecological culture and a healthy lifestyle.

In secondary educational institutions, teachers should pay special attention to the formation in the minds of children and adolescents of a heightened sense of personal and collective security, instilling skills in recognizing and assessing dangers, as well as safe behavior in emergency situations at home, at school, on the street.

The science of Life Safety is used to prevent and protect against dangers, to develop an appropriate worldview and behavior of people. Its goal is to develop knowledge and skills to protect life and health in hazardous and emergency situations, to eliminate the consequences and provide self-and mutual assistance in case of danger; conscientious and responsible attitude to issues of personal safety and safety of others; the ability to recognize and assess the dangerous and harmful factors of the human environment, to find ways to protect against them.

"Life Safety" provides general safety literacy as an integral part of part of preparation of a comprehensively developed personality.

Bibliography:

1. Life safety: Textbook for universities / L.A. Mikhailov, V.P. Solomin, A.L. Mikhailov, A.V. Starostenko et al. -SPb .: Miter, ts007.

2. Life safety: Textbook. textbook for universities / Ed. prof. L.A. Ant. - 2nd ed., Rev. and add. - M .: UNITY - DANA, 2003.

3. Denisov V.V., Denisova I.A., Gutenev V.V., Montvila O.I. Life safety. Protection of the population and territories in emergency situations: Textbook. allowance. - Moscow: ICC "Mart", Rostov n / a: Publishing Center "Mart", 2003.

4. Mikryukov V.Yu. Life safety: Textbook / V.Yu. Mikryukov. Rostov n / a: Phoenix, 2006.

5.Novikov Yu.V. Ecology, environment and man: Textbook. manual for universities, secondary schools and colleges. - 2nd ed., Rev. and add. / Yu.V. Novikov. - M .: FAIR-PRESS, 2002.

Air pollution is one of the major health risks associated with the environment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 3 million people die every year due to polluted atmospheric air in the world, most of them as a result of coronary heart disease and stroke. Air pollution also increases the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute lower respiratory infections, and lung cancer.

Last May, WHO came to the disappointing conclusion that urban air quality was deteriorating. According to the organization, more than 80% of the world's citizens live in areas with excess pollution levels, which are considered the maximum permissible by the WHO.

As for our country, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources, almost one-sixth of Russians live in cities with high and very high air pollution.

With the help of an expert - Director of Environmental Programs of the All-Russian public organization Roman Pukalov's "Green Patrol" - TASS tried to figure out which pollutants pose the greatest danger to human health and what kind of air Muscovites breathe now.

Bad news

The problem of polluted air, which annually claims the lives of millions of people around the world, is only getting worse, experts say. Given the magnitude of the problem, WHO's air pollution, large and small settlements called the "invisible killer". High-risk areas are large cities. "The list of settlements where air pollution has become dangerous and creates huge problems is very extensive. This is Beijing, and New Delhi, and Mexico City, and Lima, and many other megacities," - said the director of the WHO Department of Public Health, Environmental and social determinants of health Maria Neira.

The devastating effects of air pollution have a negative impact on both the climate and human health. They are visible everywhere: in metropolises choking with smog and in village houses filled with smoke from kitchens where old stoves stand. And so I have bad news: Unfortunately, the quality of the air we breathe is only getting worse.

Maria Neira

Director of the WHO Department

Ozone and benz (a) pyrene

According to the degree of danger to humans, pollutants entering the air are divided into four classes: from extremely to moderately hazardous. The first group includes ozone. It is a gas that is present both in the upper atmosphere and at the level of the Earth.

Depending on its location in the atmosphere, ozone can be “good” or “bad” for the environment and human health. Stratospheric ozone protects life on Earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation. But tropospheric ozone is an air pollutant, it is the main component of urban smog and it is very harmful to breathe it.

Ground-level ozone is produced by a chemical reaction caused by solar radiation. The formation of its high concentrations is most likely in the warm season. Inhalation of ozone can cause coughing, shortness of breath, and irritation of the respiratory tract. Children and the elderly are especially sensitive to ozone, and it is also dangerous for those with lung diseases. The one-time maximum permissible concentration (MPC) of ozone in atmospheric air in the Russian Federation is 0.16 milligram per cubic meter.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, in 2014 in Moscow the average annual concentration of ground-level ozone was 29 μg / m3. The lowest ozone levels were also observed in London - 35 µg / m3. In Prague, Hong Kong, Paris and Stockholm, concentrations are in the range of 40–45 µg / m3. The highest ozone levels were observed in Mexico City - 54 μg / m3.

Another substance classified in the first hazard class is benzo (a) pyrene. This substance is a byproduct of burning carbonaceous objects. It is found in cigarette smoke, fried or smoked food, and industrial waste. Benz (a) pyrene is present in the air as well as in some water sources.

"Benz (a) pyrene and formaldehyde are carcinogenic at high concentrations, even for a short period of time," notes Roman Pukalov.

Formaldehyde, phenol, hydrogen sulfide

Formaldehyde, a colorless gas with a strong odor, belongs to the second class of hazard.

It is found in resins used in the manufacture of composite wood products, building materials... Also found in adhesives, paints, varnishes and coatings, fertilizers and preservatives.

The main source of formaldehyde, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide is motor vehicles

Roman Pukalov

Exposure to formaldehyde can lead to adverse health effects. It can irritate the skin, eyes, nose and throat. High levels of formaldehyde exposure have also been linked to some cancers. Single MPC of formaldehyde in the air is 0.05 mg per cubic meter in the Russian Federation.

Phenol also belongs to the second class of hazard. It is found in industrial emissions, exhaust gases, cigarette smoke. When air containing phenol is inhaled, most of the substance quickly enters the lungs.

Phenol has a general toxic effect, causes disturbances in the activity of the cardiovascular system, and irritates the skin.

"Enough three to four hours of extremely high concentrations of phenol - above 10 MPC, to cause damage to the nervous system, there will be an acute headache, nausea, vomiting, "- says Pukalov. According to the expert, in Moscow, such concentrations of a dangerous substance were not found, although they were registered in other cities of Russia - in particular in Krasnoyarsk, Magnitogorsk, Dzerzhinsk." But, thank God, this is not the case here. like in Beijing or Shanghai. In Beijing, they fix the millionth maximum permissible concentration, that is, you can inhale one full breath at a time and get a life-threatening dose. We have no such thing anywhere in the country. In this respect, of course, China is ahead of the rest of the world in terms of the level of atmospheric air pollution, "Pukalov notes.

Hydrogen sulfide is also a highly hazardous substance - a very toxic gas with a characteristic smell of rotten eggs. It is found in natural gas, and our bodies also produce small amounts of hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide is formed during the decomposition of proteins and the decay of food waste.

Long-term inhalation of air containing this gas causes severe poisoning.

"Unfortunately, there are many sources of hydrogen sulfide in Moscow. One of such problems, which our former chief sanitary doctor Gennady Onishchenko - wear and tear sewer networks- large-diameter pipes, through which the sewage system flows throughout Moscow towards the Kuryanovskiy and Lyuberetskiy treatment facilities... Deterioration of networks is unique - from 60% at best to 99% at worst. And this kind of sewage pumping station - a sewage pumping station - is in any area - it oozes, you can smell it. From some by meters, from some - by hundreds of meters. Some people spread this fetid odor for many hundreds of meters around them. They are located a little to the side, not in the center of residential areas, but they are in every district, "says Pukalov.

Nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide

Nitrogen dioxide is a substance classified in the third hazard class. It is one of the main air pollutants formed during combustion at high temperatures.

Research has linked atmospheric exposure to nitrogen dioxide to a range of adverse respiratory diseases.

Another representative of the third class is sulfur dioxide. Its main source of emissions is exhaust gases and the combustion of industrial fuels. Especially high sensitivity to sulfur dioxide is observed in people with chronic respiratory disorders, with asthma.

The content of sulfur dioxide in Berlin, Prague, New York, Moscow, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources, is consistently low - 2–4 μg / m3. Average annual concentrations in London, Istanbul and Tokyo are 4.5–5 µg / m3. The maximum average annual concentrations of sulfur dioxide among the cities under consideration in 2014 are noted in Beijing - 22 μg / m3, Hong Kong and Mexico City - 11 μg / m3 each, the minimum air pollution was recorded in Stockholm and Paris - 1 μg / m3.

The fourth hazard class includes carbon monoxide. This substance is a product of incomplete combustion of wood. Also, the most important source of its release into the atmosphere is motor vehicles.

Carbon monoxide can create oxygen deficiency in body tissues. The toxic effect depends both on the concentration of the gas and on the time spent by the person in the polluted atmosphere. Large doses of carbon monoxide can cause physiological and pathological changes in the body.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, the minimum average annual concentration of carbon monoxide in 2014 was recorded in Stockholm and Paris - 267-300 μg / m3 (0.1 MPCd). The leaders in this indicator in 2014 are Mexico City and Hong Kong - the average annual values ​​reach 882 and 726 μg / m3, respectively. Average annual concentrations of carbon monoxide in London, Tokyo, Moscow, Berlin, Prague and Istanbul range from 405 to 647 μg / m3.

Suspended particles

In addition, particulate matter is a serious threat to human health. They are able to penetrate into the lungs of a person and accumulate in them, while practically not excreted from the body. At high doses, it can lead to cardiovascular problems.

"In addition to formaldehyde and benz (a) pyrene, heavy metals and fine suspended solids - PM2.5 and PM10 are dangerous - microscopic substances that can penetrate into the lungs of a person and enter the bloodstream through the lungs. These are small pieces of tires, when rubber is erased during braking, small pieces of metal, it can be any chemical composition... They are very dangerous for the human body, "Pukalov notes.

According to him, "the nose of any person will feel organic compounds: these are either the smells of gas or the smells of oil products." "Ammonia is a well-known smell of ammonia," notes Pukalov.

But, for example, the presence of carbon monoxide in the atmospheric air is not felt by a person.

Continuation

What the capital breathes

The main cause of air pollution in Moscow is motor transport: up to 90% of all emissions are from it. Another 10% goes to industrial enterprises. According to the Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection of the capital, the amount of emissions from vehicles has decreased in Moscow over the past three years by more than 100 thousand tons.

According to Pukalov, in the capital "there are islands of ecological trouble, there are stripes of ecological trouble, but in general, the state of the atmospheric air in Moscow is satisfactory, much better than in large industrial cities of our country."

"Among other megalopolises in the world, Moscow has begun to look relatively good in the last two or three years. First of all, this is due to the unpopular measures to ban the entry of trucks in the daytime into the city limits, to introduce paid parking, which instantly relieved the center of traffic, and traffic jams. in the center there is now much less improvement and landscaping than before - landscaping along the roads by 50-60% reduces the level of air pollution in houses adjacent to the roadway, "- says Pukalov.

Maria Smetannikova

Living in a metropolis is harmful and even unfashionable. This is the opinion of the majority of citizens who care about their health and have exchanged city apartments for country houses... The environmental situation is a concern.

Why is life in a big city dangerous?

According to research by the WHO (World Health Organization), our health depends by 5-10% on environmental conditions. Currently, a significant part of human diseases are associated with the deterioration of the ecological situation: pollution of the atmosphere, water and soil, the use of poor-quality food, an increase in the radiation background, and an increase in noise.

Air and water

The quality of these vital environmental factors do not correspond to the normal level for a long time. The air of large cities is saturated with lead and manganese. Lead prevents our body from assimilating iodine in sufficient quantities, which leads to its deficiency. And an excess of manganese is dangerous because it can cause Parkinson's disease or contribute to the development of iron deficiency. Inhalation of exhaust fumes, ozone and carbon monoxide from diesel engines in trucks and buses irritates the lungs and causes significant damage to the body's respiratory system, and also increases the risks for the development of asthma, bronchitis and emphysema. The water in ponds and rivers is saturated with industrial waste and contaminated with pathogens. They become sources of human infectious diseases. Therefore, water from artesian wells, wells, springs must be boiled. "Chlorine" water from taps, containing many elements of the periodic table, also damages health.

Radiation radiation

The larger the city, the more dangerous it is for life. In a big city, radiation sources are everywhere. They act on a person in small doses constantly, destroying or weakening the body's immune system. Hence the frequent cases of infectious diseases, a tendency to allergies, problems with gastrointestinal tract etc.

Noise pollution

Lack of silence is one of the main problems of city dwellers. This is especially true for those who live or work in busy areas near the motorway. Have A level of 20-30 decibels (dB) is considered natural background noise. It is harmless to humans. The allowable mark is 80 decibels. A sound of 130 decibels is already painful. The same goes for ultrasound. The result is hearing, memory, attention disorders, problems with the nervous system, insomnia, chronic fatigue, irritability, aggressiveness, depression and feelings of loneliness. The human body does not rest in conditions of constant noise, therefore it is not able to recover. All this entails already other health problems: hypertensive, coronary heart disease, gastritis and stomach ulcer, reduced immunity and metabolic disorders.

Industry

Human economic activity is increasingly becoming the main source of urban pollution. It contains gaseous, liquid and solid industrial wastes. Various chemicals in waste, getting into soil, air or water, pass along ecological links from one chain to another, eventually getting into the human body. An example of such an action can be smog, which forms in large cities in calm weather, or emergency emissions of toxic substances by industrial enterprises into the atmosphere. Doctors have established a direct link between the deterioration of the ecological situation in the environment and the growth of diseases such as allergies, bronchial asthma and cancer. Many industrial wastes (chromium, nickel, beryllium, asbestos) are the cause of cancer.

Human factor

Large cities have a high population level. People, touching in transport, in queues, in stores, spread faster infectious diseases(epidemics, pandemics). The use of all kinds of vitamins, useful microelements, dietary supplements does not save you from infectious and viral attacks. Smokers are extremely harmful to health. They not only themselves inhale harmful substances, but also pollute the atmosphere, endangering other people. It has long been known that passive smokers suffer from cigarette smoke.

Biologically contaminants

In addition to chemical pollutants, in the natural environment there are also biological ones that cause various diseases in humans. These are pathogens, viruses, helminths, protozoa. They can be found in the atmosphere, water, soil, in the body of other living organisms, including in the person himself. Often the source of infection is the soil, which is constantly inhabited by pathogens of tetanus, botulism, gas gangrene, and some fungal diseases. They can enter the human body when damaged skin, with unwashed food, in violation of hygiene rules.

Chemical contamination of food

In cities, they have long been accustomed to the concept of "environmentally friendly products". Doctors say that good balanced nutrition is an important condition for maintaining the health and high performance of adults, and for children it is also a necessary condition for growth and development. The counters of city shops are full of beautiful and large vegetables and fruits. Unfortunately, they do not always meet the taste. Such agricultural products are even dangerous to health, because they are grown on chemical fertilizers. Fruits and vegetables, having absorbed the nitrogen contained in the fertilizer, are saturated with nitrates, which can cause severe poisoning. That is why agricultural products grown near industrial enterprises and major highways are especially dangerous.

Outcome

In general, the body's reactions to poor ecology depend on individual characteristics: age, gender, health status. But, first of all, children, elderly and elderly people, sick people are vulnerable. Therefore, those who strive for life in a metropolis should carefully weigh the pros and cons, because everything has a price and sometimes it is too high.

TODAY IN MOSCOW IS THE STRONGEST SMOG ...

Influence of air on human health and body

In our difficult time of stress, heavy loads, constantly deteriorating environmental situation, the quality of the air we breathe is of particular importance. Air quality, its impact on our health directly depends on the amount of oxygen in it. But it is constantly changing.

We will tell you about the state of the air in big cities, about the harmful substances that pollute it, about the effect of air on human health and the human body, on our website www.rasteniya-lecarstvennie.ru.

About 30% of urban dwellers have health problems, and one of the main reasons for this is the air with a low oxygen content. To determine the level of oxygen saturation in the blood, you need to measure it using special device- pulse oximeter.

Such a device is simply necessary for people with lung disease in order to determine in time that they need medical attention.

How does the air of living quarters affect health?

As we said, the oxygen content in the air we breathe is constantly changing. For example, on the sea coast, its amount is on average 21.9%. The oxygen volume of a large city is already 20.8%. And in the room it is even less, since the already insufficient amount of oxygen is reduced due to the breathing of people in the room.

Inside residential and public premises, even very small sources of pollution create high concentrations of it, since the volume of air there is small.
Modern man spends most of his time indoors. Therefore, even a small amount toxic substances(for example, polluted air from the street, finishing polymeric materials, incomplete combustion of household gas) can affect his health and performance.

In addition, the atmosphere with toxic substances acts on a person, combined with other factors: air temperature, humidity, radioactive background, etc. If hygienic and sanitary requirements (ventilation, wet cleaning, ionization, air conditioning) are not observed, the internal environment of rooms where people are located can become hazardous to health.

Also the chemical composition of the air atmosphere closed spaces significantly depends on the quality of the ambient atmospheric air. Dust, exhaust gases, toxic substances from the outside penetrate into the room.

To protect yourself from this, an air conditioning, ionization, purification system should be used to cleanse the atmosphere of closed rooms. Wet cleaning more often, do not use cheap materials hazardous to health for finishing.

How does urban air affect health?

Human health is greatly affected by the large amount of harmful substances in the city air. It contains a large amount of carbon monoxide (CO) - up to 80%, which "provides" us with vehicles. This harmful substance is very insidious, odorless, colorless and highly toxic.

Carbon monoxide, getting into the lungs, is bound by blood hemoglobin, interferes with the supply of oxygen to tissues, organs, causing oxygen starvation, and weakens thought processes. It can sometimes cause loss of consciousness, and with strong concentration, it can cause death.

In addition to carbon monoxide, city air contains about 15 other substances hazardous to health. Among them are acetaldehyde, benzene, cadmium, nickel. The urban atmosphere also contains selenium, zinc, copper, lead, and styrene. The concentration of formaldehyde, acrolein, xylene, toluene is high. Their danger is such that the human body only accumulates these harmful substances, which is why their concentration increases. After a while, they already become dangerous for humans.

These harmful chemicals are often the culprit behind the onset of hypertension, coronary heart disease, and kidney failure. There is also a high concentration of harmful substances around industrial enterprises, factories, factories. Studies have shown that half of the exacerbation of chronic diseases of people living near enterprises is caused by bad, dirty air.

The situation is much better in rural areas, “sleeping urban areas”, where there are no nearby enterprises, power plants, and also a low concentration of vehicles.
Residents of large cities are rescued by powerful air conditioners that clean the air masses from dust, dirt, soot. But, you should be aware that passing through the filter, the cooling-heating system, the air is also cleared of useful ions. Therefore, as an addition to the air conditioner, you should have an ionizer.

Most of all they need oxygen:

* Children, they need it twice as much as adults.

* Pregnant women - they consume oxygen for themselves and for the unborn child.

* Elderly people, as well as people with poor health. They need oxygen to improve their well-being, to prevent exacerbation of diseases.

* Athletes need oxygen to enhance physical activity, accelerate muscle recovery after sports activities.

* Schoolchildren, students, everyone who is engaged in mental work to enhance concentration, reduce fatigue.

The influence of air on the human body is obvious. Favorable air conditions are the most important factor in maintaining human health and working capacity. Therefore, try to provide the best possible cleaning of the indoor air. Also, try to leave the city as soon as possible. Go to the forest, to the reservoir, walk in parks, squares.

Breathe in the clean, healthy air you need to stay healthy. Be healthy!

Atmospheric air: its pollution

Air pollution by road transport emissions

The car is this "symbol" of the XX century. in the industrialized countries of the West, where public transport is poorly developed, it is increasingly becoming a real disaster. Tens of millions of personal cars have filled the streets of cities and highways, many kilometers "traffic jams" appear every now and then, expensive fuel is burned uselessly, the air is poisoned by poisonous exhaust gases. In many cities, they exceed the total emissions into the atmosphere of industrial enterprises. The total capacity of automobile engines in the USSR significantly exceeds the installed capacity of all thermal power plants in the country. Accordingly, cars consume much more fuel than thermal power plants and if it is possible to increase the efficiency of automobile engines at least a little, it will result in a million-dollar savings.

Automotive exhaust gases are a mixture of approximately 200 substances. They contain hydrocarbons - unburned or incompletely burned fuel components, the proportion of which increases sharply if the engine is running at low revs or when the speed increases at the start, that is, during congestion and at a red traffic light. It is at this moment, when the accelerator is pressed, that the most unburned particles are emitted: about 10 times more than when the engine is operating in normal mode. Unburned gases also include ordinary carbon monoxide, which is formed in one amount or another everywhere where something is burned. The exhaust gases of an engine running on normal gasoline and under normal conditions contain an average of 2.7% carbon monoxide. With a decrease in speed, this share increases to 3.9%, and at low speed, up to 6.9%.

Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and most other engine gases are heavier than air, so they all accumulate near the ground. Carbon monoxide combines with the hemoglobin of the blood and prevents it from carrying oxygen to the tissues of the body. Exhaust gases also contain aldehydes, which have a strong odor and irritant effect. These include acroleins and formaldehyde; the latter has a particularly strong effect. Automotive emissions also contain nitrogen oxides. Nitrogen dioxide plays an important role in the formation of hydrocarbon conversion products in the atmospheric air. Undecomposed fuel hydrocarbons are present in the exhaust gases. Among them, a special place is occupied by unsaturated hydrocarbons of the ethylene series, in particular, hexene and pentene. Due to incomplete combustion of fuel in a car engine, part of the hydrocarbons turns into soot containing resinous substances. Especially a lot of soot and tar is formed in the event of a technical malfunction of the engine and at the moments when the driver, forcing the engine, reduces the ratio of air and fuel, trying to get the so-called "rich mixture". In these cases, a visible tail of smoke trails behind the machine, which contains polycyclic hydrocarbons and, in particular, benzo (a) pyrene.

1 liter of gasoline can contain about 1 g of tetraethyl lead, which is destroyed and emitted as lead compounds. There is no lead in emissions from diesel vehicles. Tetraethyl lead has been used in the United States since 1923 as an additive to gasoline. Since that time, the release of lead into the environment has been steadily increasing. The annual per capita consumption of lead for gasoline in the United States is about 800 g. Close to toxic levels of lead in the body have been observed in traffic police and in those who are constantly exposed to car exhaust fumes. Studies have shown that pigeons living in Philadelphia contain 10 times more lead than pigeons living in rural areas. Lead is one of the main poisoners of the external environment; and is mainly supplied by modern high-compression engines from the automotive industry.
The contradictions, from which the car is "woven", perhaps, in nothing is revealed so sharply as in the protection of nature. On the one hand, he made life easier for us, on the other, he poisons it. In the most direct and sad sense.

One a car annually absorbs from the atmosphere on average more than 4 tons of oxygen, emitting with exhaust gases about 800 kg of carbon monoxide, about 40 kg of nitrogen oxides and almost 200 kg of various hydrocarbons.

Car exhaust fumes, air pollution

In connection with a sharp increase in the number of cars, the problem of combating atmospheric pollution with exhaust gases from internal combustion engines has become acute. Currently, 40-60% of air pollution is caused by cars. On average, emissions per car are, kg / year, carbon monoxide 135, nitrogen oxides 25, hydrocarbons 20, sulfur dioxide 4, particulate matter 1.2, benzpyrene 7-10. It is expected that by 2000 the number of cars in the world will be about 0.5 billion. Accordingly, they will emit into the atmosphere per year, tons of carbon monoxide 7.7-10, nitrogen oxides 1.4-10, hydrocarbons 1.15-10 , sulfur dioxide 2.15-10, particulate matter 7-10, benzpyrene 40. Therefore, the fight against atmospheric pollution will become even more urgent. There are several ways to solve this problem. One of the most promising of them is the creation of electric vehicles.

Harmful emissions. It is well established that internal combustion engines, especially automotive carburetor engines, are the main sources of pollution. The exhaust gases of gasoline-fueled vehicles, in contrast to LPG-fueled vehicles, contain lead compounds. Anti-knock additives such as tetraethyl lead are the cheapest means of adapting conventional gasolines to modern high-compression engines. After combustion, the lead-containing components of these additives are released into the atmosphere. If catalytic cleaning filters are used, then the lead compounds absorbed by them deactivate the catalyst, as a result of which not only lead, but also carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons are emitted together with exhaust gases in an amount that depends on the conditions and standards for engine operation, as well as on the conditions cleaning and a number of other factors. The concentration of polluting components in exhaust gases during engine operation on both gasoline and LPG is quantitatively determined according to the method now well known as the Californian test cycle. During most of the experiments, it was found that the conversion of engines from gasoline to LPG leads to a decrease in the amount of carbon monoxide emissions by 5 times and unburned hydrocarbons by 2 times.

To reduce air pollution with lead-containing exhaust gases, it is proposed to place porous polypropylene fibers or fabric based on them in a car muffler, treated in an inert atmosphere at 1000 ° C. The fibers adsorb up to 53% of the lead contained in the exhaust gas.

In connection with the increase in the number of cars in cities, the problem of atmospheric pollution by exhaust gases is becoming more and more acute. On average, about 1 kg of exhaust gases are emitted per day when a car is operated, containing oxides of carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, and are different (hydrocarbons and lead compounds.

As we can see, a catalyst is a substance that accelerates chemical reaction, providing an easier path for its course, but itself is not consumed in the reaction. This does not mean that the catalyst does not participate in the reaction. Molecule PeBrz plays important role in the multistage mechanism of the above reaction of benzene bromination. But at the end of the reaction, FeBr3 is regenerated in its original form. This is a common and characteristic property of any catalyst. The mixture of H2 and O2 gases can remain unchanged at room temperature for years, and there will be no noticeable reaction in it, but the introduction of a small amount of platinum black causes an instant explosion. Platinum black has the same effect on butane gas or alcohol vapor mixed with oxygen. (Some time ago appeared on sale gas lighters, in which platinum black was used instead of a wheel and flint, but they quickly became unusable due to the poisoning of the catalyst surface with impurities in gaseous butane. Tetraethyl lead also poisons catalysts, which reduce vehicle exhaust emissions, and therefore vehicles equipped with such catalysts must use tetraethyl lead-free gasoline.)

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Effects of exhaust gases on human health

Exhaust pipe of a passenger car

Outboard motors emit exhaust fumes into the water, on many models through the propeller hub
The greatest danger is represented by nitrogen oxides, which are about 10 times more dangerous than carbon monoxide, the share of toxicity of aldehydes is relatively small and amounts to 4-5% of the total toxicity of exhaust gases. The toxicity of different hydrocarbons is very different. Unsaturated hydrocarbons are photochemically oxidized in the presence of nitrogen dioxide, forming poisonous oxygen-containing compounds - components of smog.

The quality of afterburning on modern catalysts is such that the proportion of CO after the catalyst is usually less than 0.1%.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in gases are strong carcinogens. Among them, benzpyrene is the most studied; in addition to it, anthracene derivatives have been found:

1,2-benzanthracene
1,2,6,7-dibenzanthracene
5,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene
In addition, when using sulphurous gasolines, sulfur oxides can enter into the exhaust gases, when using leaded gasolines - lead (tetraethyl lead), bromine, chlorine, and their compounds. It is believed that aerosols of lead halide compounds can undergo catalytic and photochemical transformations, participating in the formation of smog.

Prolonged contact with the environment, poisoned by the exhaust gases of cars, causes a general weakening of the body - immunodeficiency. In addition, the gases themselves can cause various diseases. For example, respiratory failure, sinusitis, laryngotracheitis, bronchitis, bronchopneumonia, lung cancer. Also, exhaust gases cause cerebral atherosclerosis. Various disorders of the cardiovascular system can also occur indirectly through pulmonary pathology.

IMPORTANT!!!
Preventive measures to protect the human body from harmful effects environment in an industrial city

Air pollution

The atmospheric air in industrial cities is polluted by emissions from heat and power plants, non-ferrous metallurgy, rare earth and other industries, as well as an increasing number of vehicles.

The nature and degree of exposure to pollutants are different and are determined by their toxicity and the excess of the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) standards established for these substances.

Characteristics of the main pollutants emitted into the atmosphere:

1. Nitrogen dioxide is a substance of hazard class 2. In acute nitrogen dioxide poisoning, pulmonary edema may develop. Signs of chronic poisoning - headaches, insomnia, damage to the mucous membranes.

Nitrogen dioxide participates in photochemical reactions with hydrocarbons in automobile exhaust gases with the formation of acutely toxic organic substances and ozone - products of photochemical smog.

2. Sulfur dioxide is a substance of hazard class 3. Sulfur dioxide and sulfuric anhydride in combination with suspended particles and moisture have a harmful effect on humans, living organisms and material values. Sulfur dioxide mixed with particulate matter and sulfuric acid increases the symptoms of shortness of breath and lung disease.

3. Hydrogen fluoride is a substance of hazard class 2. In acute poisoning, irritation of the mucous membranes of the larynx and bronchi, eyes, salivation, nosebleeds occur; in severe cases - pulmonary edema, damage to the central nervous system, in chronic - conjunctivitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, pneumosclerosis, fluorosis. Characterized by skin lesions such as eczema.

4. Benz (a) pyrene - a substance of the 1st hazard class, is present in the exhaust gases of cars, is a very strong carcinogen, causes cancer in several locations, including the skin, lungs, intestines. The main pollutant is motor vehicles, as well as thermal power plants and heating in the private sector.

5. Lead - a substance of the 1st hazard class, has a negative effect on such organ systems: hematopoietic, nervous, gastrointestinal and renal.

It is known that the half-life of its biological decay is 5 years in the body as a whole, and 10 years in human bones.

6. Arsenic is a hazard class 2 substance that affects the nervous system. Chronic arsenic poisoning leads to loss of appetite and weight loss, gastrointestinal disorders, peripheral neuroses, conjunctivitis, hyperkeratosis and skin melanoma. The latter occurs with prolonged exposure to arsenic and can lead to the development of skin cancer.

7. Natural gas radon is a product of radioactive decay of uranium and thorium. It enters the human body through air and water, excess doses of radon cause the risk of cancer. The main ways of getting radon into buildings from soil through cracks and crevices, from walls and building structures, as well as with water from underground sources.

1. From the harmful effects of atmospheric air pollution in the event of unfavorable meteorological conditions (NMC) for the dispersion of pollutants, it is recommended:

Limit physical activity and stay at outdoors;

Close windows and doors. Carry out wet cleaning of the premises every day;

In cases of an increased concentration of harmful substances in the atmospheric air (based on reports of NMU), it is advisable to use cotton-gauze dressings, respirators or handkerchiefs when moving in the open air;

To pay special attention to the observance of the rules for the improvement of the city (do not burn garbage, etc.);

Increase fluid intake, drink still boiled, purified or alkaline mineral water or tea, and often rinse your mouth with a mild solution baking soda take a shower more often;

The diet should include foods containing pectin: boiled beets, beet juice, apples, fruit jelly, marmalade, as well as vitamin drinks based on rose hips, cranberries, rhubarb, herbal teas, natural juices. Eat more vegetables and fruits rich in natural fiber and pectins in the form of salads and purees;

Increase the diet of children with whole milk, fermented milk products, fresh cottage cheese, meat, liver (foods high in iron);

To remove toxic substances and cleanse the body, use natural sorbents such as - Tagansorbent, Indigel, Tagangel-Aya, activated carbon;

Limit the use of personal vehicles within the city during the IMU period;

For periods of NMU, travel, if possible, to a suburban or park area.

Ventilate rooms on the ground floors and basements regularly;

In the bathroom and kitchen rooms have a working ventilation system or extractor hood;

Water used for drinking from underground sources must be kept in an open container before use.