Asked by maribel
What are three stressful environmental conditions found in degraded areas in urban centers?
in paragraphs
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Air pollution. Degraded urban areas often have high concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds and ground-level ozone from traffic, industry, burning of waste and low-quality fuels for cooking and heating. These pollutants reduce air quality and visibility and penetrate deep into lungs and the bloodstream, increasing respiratory and cardiovascular disease, exacerbating asthma, and shortening life expectancy. Poorly maintained roads and exposed soils can also create dust, and the lack of vegetation means there is less natural filtering of airborne pollutants.
Urban heat-island effect. Built-up degraded neighborhoods tend to have extensive impervious surfaces (asphalt, concrete, metal roofs) and very little green cover, which absorb and re-radiate heat and reduce evaporative cooling. As a result, air and surface temperatures can be several degrees higher than in surrounding rural areas, increasing heat stress, dehydration and heat-related illness — especially for elderly, young children and people without reliable access to cooling. Higher temperatures also worsen air pollution chemistry (raising ozone) and increase energy demand for cooling, which can be unaffordable or unreliable in marginalized communities.
Poor sanitation and contaminated water. Many degraded urban areas lack reliable sewage systems, clean running water and solid-waste removal; open drains, sewer overflows and piles of garbage are common. This leads to contamination of drinking water and local soils with pathogens, nutrients and toxic chemicals, increases the risk of diarrheal diseases and other infections, and creates breeding sites for disease vectors such as mosquitoes and rats. Chemical contaminants from industrial sites or illegal dumping can persist in soil and groundwater, causing long-term health risks and making neighborhoods less livable and harder to remediate.
Urban heat-island effect. Built-up degraded neighborhoods tend to have extensive impervious surfaces (asphalt, concrete, metal roofs) and very little green cover, which absorb and re-radiate heat and reduce evaporative cooling. As a result, air and surface temperatures can be several degrees higher than in surrounding rural areas, increasing heat stress, dehydration and heat-related illness — especially for elderly, young children and people without reliable access to cooling. Higher temperatures also worsen air pollution chemistry (raising ozone) and increase energy demand for cooling, which can be unaffordable or unreliable in marginalized communities.
Poor sanitation and contaminated water. Many degraded urban areas lack reliable sewage systems, clean running water and solid-waste removal; open drains, sewer overflows and piles of garbage are common. This leads to contamination of drinking water and local soils with pathogens, nutrients and toxic chemicals, increases the risk of diarrheal diseases and other infections, and creates breeding sites for disease vectors such as mosquitoes and rats. Chemical contaminants from industrial sites or illegal dumping can persist in soil and groundwater, causing long-term health risks and making neighborhoods less livable and harder to remediate.
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