CHARLOTTE, North Carolina- In 2015, the Palazzo Italia Pavilion, a building that uses biodynamic cement to battle air pollutants, will be unveiled to the public in Milan, Italy. The structure will be the first to be built like this, but not the first to have the biodynamic cement integrated into its structure.
The Manuel Gea Gonzalez Hospital in Mexico City has also integrated this special type of cement onto one of its walls in what is called a “smog-eating façade.” The designers of this façade claim that the biodynamic cement can negate the effects of 1,000 cars per day, thereby purifying the atmosphere of harmful chemicals.
There is also a pollution-cleaning poem printed on a banner coated in titanium dioxide that can by itself neutralize the effects of 20 cars per day. The poem, Simon Armitage’s “In Praise of Air,” is located in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England at Sheffield University.
Also in England, in Eustan Square in London, designer Helen Storey designed a pollution-fighting sculpture. This sculpture is called “Field of Jeans” and was created with jeans treated with anti-pollution detergent before it was erected in 2011.
All of these structures and sculptures help to make the air cleaner and are creative examples of pollution-fighting techniques. In addition to these wonderful inventions, there is also monitoring equipment to help people avoid the adverse effects of air pollution.
One of these monitoring devices is called a MicroPEM, and is a portable sensor that monitors the air for pollutants. The MicroPEM does this by delivering detailed atmospheric readings to help its users avoid areas with heavy pollution.
Another device that monitors air pollutants is called FLOAT, which is an air pollutant monitoring kite. This kite was invented to help monitor the pollution in Beijing. The project was crowd-funded in order to help the people of China avoid major areas of pollution.
Pollution is a big deal and has been for a very long time. The more advanced the world becomes with technology, the more potential pollution has to spread.
It may not seem obvious at first, but in the bigger picture, pollution has a huge impact on global poverty and the health and safety of the people who live with pollution every day.
Air pollutants have adverse effects on humans and can cause various illnesses that could lead to people being unable to work due to illness or even death. The more countries grow and try to ignore the pollutants in their atmosphere, the more they see the problems associated with their decisions.
People from countries with heavy air pollution tend to have more illnesses like lung cancer, asthma and even damage to the heart and reproductive systems.
Countries with heavy water pollution, such as India or Africa, have problems with dysentery. If this issue is paired with other types of pollution, humans cannot fight off simple bacterial infections and will die because of it.
These environmental issues are all major driving factors behind the issue of global poverty. If we have the technology to measure pollution, to control it, and to help erase it from the air and water, then it should be implemented, especially in the countries that need it most.
Sources: Catalytic-clothing, CNN, IFL Science, SFGate, Sheffield University
Photo: Expo Cantiere