From the quality of life to life itself, there is not one person who is not
affected in some way by pollution. Pollution affects our ability to swim in
local waters or enjoy clear views in our national parks. More critically, pollution
is responsible for waterborne diseases, birth defects, increased cancer
incidence, and neurological problems ranging from loss of intelligence to
madness itself. Pollution can kill instantly—over 8,000 died in just three days
when methyl isocynate leaked from the Union Carbide facility in Bhopal,
India—or it can take decades for the full impact to be known. Indeed, the
number of lives cut short by the radiation released when the Chernobyl
nuclear reactor exploded in the Ukraine in 1986 is still being counted.
The other fundamental truth about pollution is that we have no one to
blame for it but ourselves. Yes, there are natural causes of pollution, and we
include an article on Natural Disasters, but the preponderance of pollutant
threats are anthropogenic—caused by man. From lead in paint to mercury in
water, PCBs in rivers to VOCs in the atmosphere, from CFCs to greenhouse
gases, the sources of pollution can be traced to the decisions of industry, government
and, ultimately, the individual consumer/voter.