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Air pollution damages plants
October 27, 1999If you live in a large town or city, have you ever wondered why some
plants do not grow well in your garden, despite your best efforts? It is, in
part, because of air pollution. At a symposium on the biology of air
pollution hosted by the Institute of Biology this week in London, delegates
heard from experts about the effects of pollutants on plants and how they
can adapt.
"Wild plants in urban areas evolve a tolerance to sulphur dioxide (SO2) and
other potentially harmful compounds," said Professor Terry Mansfield
from Lancaster University. However, gardeners in urban areas often buy
plants and seeds that have been reared in clean conditions that then make
them vulnerable to attack from air pollution. "Local horticultural societies
would do well to experiment with different varieties of plants and select
those that thrive well in the local environment," Professor Mansfield
recommended.
Most people in Western nations have a choice whether to grow or buy their
vegetables, but for many poor people in urban and peri-urban areas in Asia, for
example, the damaging effects of air pollution on plants can be a major problem.
Professor Mike Ashmore from the University of Bradford said, "In Asian or African
countries, people's diet is often based on the food they cultivate themselves or
purchase from local markets. Family incomes may rely on maintaining high yields in
and around urban areas. When you consider this, it is obvious why air pollution
becomes a global issue." Rapid increases in population, combined with
industrialisation and traffic are detrimental to plants and crops grown in urban and
peri-urban areas.
In Europe and North America, the emissions of sulphur and nitrogen continue to fall
but over the last 20 years in parts of Asia, Latin America and Africa, there is an
alarming increase in emission of these pollutants that could potentially destroy the yield
of crops. "Taking the world as a whole, the problems of atmospheric pollution for
plant life are increasing, not declining, as we are sometimes led to believe," said
Professor Mansfield. Professor Ashmore concluded, "Clean air policies are vitally
important not only for human health but also for the health of plants."
Snell Communications Ltd
vegetables, but for many poor people in urban and peri-urban areas in Asia, for
example, the damaging effects of air pollution on plants can be a major problem.
Professor Mike Ashmore from the University of Bradford said, "In Asian or African
countries, people's diet is often based on the food they cultivate themselves or
purchase from local markets. Family incomes may rely on maintaining high yields in
and around urban areas. When you consider this, it is obvious why air pollution
becomes a global issue." Rapid increases in population, combined with
industrialisation and traffic are detrimental to plants and crops grown in urban and
peri-urban areas.
In Europe and North America, the emissions of sulphur and nitrogen continue to fall
but over the last 20 years in parts of Asia, Latin America and Africa, there is an
alarming increase in emission of these pollutants that could potentially destroy the yield
of crops. "Taking the world as a whole, the problems of atmospheric pollution for
plant life are increasing, not declining, as we are sometimes led to believe," said
Professor Mansfield. Professor Ashmore concluded, "Clean air policies are vitally
important not only for human health but also for the health of plants."
Snell Communications Ltd
Air Pollution Current Events and Air Pollution News RSSPinning down the fleeting Internet: Web crawler archives historical data for easy searching
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Dirty air brings rain -- then again, maybe not
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Global survey highlights need for cancer prevention campaigns to correct misbeliefs
Many people hold mistaken beliefs about what causes cancer, tending to inflate the threat from environmental factors that have relatively little impact while minimizing the hazards of behaviours well established as cancer risk factors, according to the first global survey on the topic.
Many U.S. Public Schools in 'Air Pollution Danger Zone'
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Newly detected air pollutant mimics damaging effects of cigarette smoke
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