GAC023 Assessment Event 4: Assignments

4(1) 1.1 Biological Issue

4(2) 2.2 Viral Diseases

4(4) 6.6 Photochemical Smog

Student Name: Dascha Devara Berliana

Student ID: 1505180795

Teacher: Rani Kusniati

Due Date:

Word count: words

Table of Contents

AE 4 (1) Task 1.1: Biological Issue 1

AE 4 (2) Task 2.2: Viral Diseases 2
AE 4 (4) Task 6.6: Photochemical Smog 4
Reference List 6
GAC023 AE#4 Dascha Devara Berliana 1505180795

AE 4 (1) Task 1.1: Biological Issue

Air pollution is the encounter of hazardous substances with the atmosphere which may
bring negative impact to health and ecosystems. Air pollution is included in biochemistry,
meteorology, and ecology.

Biochemistry is a bout examining and exploring the chemistry of living being. The
biochemistry aspects of air pollution involves the production of SO 2, NO2, CO, particulate
matter, etc. On a cell level, these pollutants may give out various damaging impact. Thus,
plants are likely to be harmed morphologically or physiologically. The morphological
damage is the one that can be seen like change of colours while the physiological is the
invisible but measurable one including change of sugar content. The symptoms can be
utilized as early diagnosis of air pollution.

In aspect of meteorology, the released pollutant to the atmosphere is the main focus. The
releasing process is divided into natural releases, deliberate industrial emissions or
accidental spills. PBL or planetary boundary level is the atmosphere lower part where the
air pollution is commonly happened. This aspects combine biology, chemistry, physics and
engineering.

In general, ecology is a study field which covers the interaction of organisms and their
environments. Air pollution may disturb and harm living beings like animals, plants, etc. in
various different ways. Even a ground-level ozone could lead to the decreasing number,
survivability and quality of agriculture yields. In ecology, the air pollution impacts, such as
acid rain, eutrophication, haze, etc., are analysed. Thus, due to the large impact the air
pollutant caused, it may cause an ecological change.

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AE 4 (2) Task 2.2: Viral Disease

1. Polio (145)

Polio, caused by poliovirus, is a disabling and life-threatening disease which spread through

contact with feces and contact between people, by nasal and oral secretion.

A 1400 BCE Egyptian carving portrays a similar leg deformity to one caused by polio. By

1800s, polio was spreading on a low level and appeared to be uncommon. In 1900s, when the

standard of living was improving, polio was happened to be an epidemic. It is presumed that

human’s immune system is degrading since their exposure of polioviruses were reduced by

having better sanity. The human body did not have a chance to build lasting immunity to the

poliovirus. In 2017, after the global effort to suppress the disease, there were only 22 reported

cases left over more than 350,000 cases since 1988. By January 2020, the country with never

stopped polio transmission was reported to be Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.

2. Rabies

The rabies virus infects the central nervous system which leads to brain damage and may

resulting in death if does not treated properly.

It was mentioned in Aristotle’s 300BC notes that rabies is one of the diseases which affects

dogs and any animal it bites. In 19 th century, extensive outbreak of rabies took place

throughout Europe to humans and various species, such as dogs, pigs, foxes, etc.

In modern days, it is estimated 59,000 human deaths were caused by rabies in up to 150

countries, with 95% of cases were found in Africa and Asia. However, this number is not an

exact number due to widespread underreporting and uncertain estimates.

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3. Dengue Fever

The bite of an infected Aedes species (Ae. aegypti or Ae. albopictus) mosquito leads to the

spread of dengue viruses. Dengue epidemics were reported during the age of exploration and

rise of international trade during the 17th and 18th centuries due to expansion of Ae aegypti

from Africa to Asia and the Americas. Meanwhile, in 20 th dengue fever cases were escalating

as the impact of troops massive movements on WWII and rapid population growth in many

Asian regions, especially Southeast Asian. The number of dengue cases is found to be alarming

since the number keeps escalating from 505,430 cases in 2000, to over 2.4 million in 2010, and

4.2 million in 2019. Meanwhile the reported deaths increased from 960 to 4032 between the

year 2000 and 2015.

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AE 4(4) Task 6.6: Photochemical Smog

1. Photochemical smog definition

Photochemical smog is haze which colors brownish-gray as the result of radiation of solar

ultraviolet on atmosphere polluted with hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen. This smog

contains air pollutants, mainly ozone, nitric acid, and organic compounds, that are trapped by

the inversion of temperature near the ground. These pollutants has the ability to affect human

and/or animal health, plant damage, and property damage.

2. How it is formed

Photochemical smog contains three main substances, which are nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons,

and sunlight. A large number of pollutants is formed when nitrous oxide and nitrogen dioxide

dissociate in sunlight and consolidate with trace hydrocarbon. In more specific way, sunlight

leads nitrogen and oxygen to photodissociation which yields the ozone and the oxygen atoms.

Then the reaction of oxygen atoms and water will produce hydroxyl radicals (OH).

Hydrocarbons will be oxidized by hydroxyl radicals to form hydrocarbon radicals. Later,

aldehydes will be formed as the result of hydrocarbons oxidation. These aldehydes will be

oxidized to both formaldehyde peroxides and aldehyde peroxy acids.

3. 4 types of compounds found in photochemical smog

There are 4 types of compounds involves in photochemical smog, which are nitrogen oxides

(NO2), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), ozone, and PAN (peroxyacytyl nitrate).

4. Effects on:

a. Plants

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Photochemical smog has the ability to decimate several plants which are highly

responsive to ozone such as tobacco, tomato, and spinach. Leaves upper surfaces may

undergo neurotic (dead) patterns due to ozone. Even mild ozone level has the ability to

hinder trees growth and productivity.

b. Humans and other animals

The effect photochemical causes in human and animals are more likely the same. Both

human and animals respiratory systems and heart are the most vulnerable to the

photochemical smog exposure. Short-term exposure may cause lung function degradation

while long-term/high levels of photochemical exposure may be resulted to asthma attacks

due to allergen sensitivity.

c. Property

Ozone has the ability to cause damage different kinds of compounds. It is able to crack

rubber, degrade textiles tensile strength, fade dyed fibers, and crack paints.

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Reference List
Botting, J., (2020), A History of Rabies Since the Minddle Ages. Available from :
https://brewminate.com/a-history-of-rabies-since-the-middle-ages/ [Accessed
September 8 2020]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), Dengue. Available from :
https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/index.html [Accessed September 8 2020]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), Rabies. Available from :
https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html [Accessed September 8 2020]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019), What is Polio. Available from :
https://www.cdc.gov/polio/what-is-polio/index.htm [Accessed September 7 2020]
Charmaine, M., (2019), Effect of Photochemical Smog. Available from :
https://sciencing.com/effect-of-photochemical-smog-12328963.html [Accessed
September 25 2020]
Chemistry Libre Texts (2020), Photochemical Smog, Available from :
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Ancillary_Materials/Exemplars_and_Case_S
tudies/Exemplars/Environmental_and_Green_chemistry/Photochemical_Smog
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Deziel, C., (2018), How Is Photochemical Smog Formed?. Available from :
https://sciencing.com/photochemical-smog-formed-6505511.html [Accessed 25
September 2020]
EPA South Australia, (2004), Photochemical Smog. Available from :
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2020)
Higgins, S., Mahon, M., & McDonagh, J. (2012). Interdisciplinary interpretations and
applications of the concept of scale in landscape research. Journal of environmental
management, vol. 113, pp. 137-145.
Patricks, D., (not stated), Health & Environmental Effects of Air Pollution. Available
from : https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/08/vl/health-and-env-effects-air-
pollutions.pdf [Accessed May 7 2021]
Saxena, P., & Kulshrestha, U. (2016). Biochemical effects of air pollutants on plants. Plant
responses to air pollution (pp. 59-70)
Sher, E., (1998), Handbook of Air Pollution From Internal Combustion Engines,
Amsterdam.
Smith, Y., (2018), Rabies History. Available from :
https://www.news-medical.net/health/Rabies-History.aspx [Accessed September 8
2020]
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia (2014), The History of Vaccines. Available
from : https://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/polio [Accessed September 7 2020]

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Toppr (2020), Photochemical Smog – What is it and How is it Formed?, Available from :
https://www.toppr.com/guides/chemistry/environmental-chemistry/photochemical-
smog/ [Accessed September 25 2020]
Warkentien T, Pavlicek R., (2016) Dengue Fever: Historical Perspective and the Global
Response. J Infect Dis Epidemiol 2:015.
World Health Organization (2020), Does polio still exist? Is it curable? Available from :
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/does-polio-still-exist-is-it-curable
[Accessed September 7 2020]
World Health Organization (2020), Epidemiology and Burden of Diease. Available from :
https://www.who.int/rabies/epidemiology/en/ [Accessed September 8 2020]
World Health Organization (2020), Dengue and severe dengue. Available from :
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dengue-and-severe-
dengue#:~:text=The%20number%20of%20dengue%20cases,increased%20from
%20960%20to%204032 [Accessed September 8 2020]

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