CLEAN
MACHINES T H E E F F ECT H U M A N I T Y I S H AV I N G O N O U R P L A N E T, A N D I N PA R T I C U L A R O N C L E A N
A I R A N D WAT E R , I S U N D E R T H E M I C R O S C O P E AT T H E M O M E N T. W E I N V ES T I G AT E H O W T EC H N O LO GY C A N H E L P A C H I E V E E N V I R O N M E N TA L TA R G E TS .
Deanna O’Connor speaks to Dr Liam O’Faolain and Brendan Sinnott about the important work of cleaning our air and water.
The air we breathe and the water we drink are vital to life on earth and the health of humans, as well as animal and plant life. However, naturally occurring bacteria and human-made pollutants and contaminants can threaten our lives and health when they enter the air supply and the water systems. Air quality is a major problem in modern cities, but pollutants contaminate air everywhere. Increases in air pollution have been linked to decreases in lung function and increases in heart attacks, most significantly affecting people with asthma and lung or heart disease. The elderly and children are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution. While the modern world - with its industrialisation and increased vehicle usage and international air travel - has negatively impacted air pollution, technological advances have played a part in decreasing the health threats posed by water in many parts of the world, with populations enjoying the
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benefits of access to safe drinking water supplies. However, clean air and clean water go hand in hand; for example, nitrogen pollution emitted by vehicles and industrial sources is carried by winds, falling across land and water. The harm this causes can be observed where an excess of nitrogen (and phosphorus) in water causes algal blooms, which reduce the amount of oxygen available to fish and other aquatic life. Clean water is singled out as one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation, and also appears in SDG 14 Life Below Water. While it is not named, air does quite literally infiltrate every aspect of life on earth, but particularly impacts on SDG 3 Good Health and Wellbeing. It is directly mentioned in two SDG targets: SDG 3.9 (substantial reduction of health impacts from hazardous substances) and SDG 11.6 (reduction of adverse impacts of cities on people).
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