Māris kļaviņŠ, azamat azizov, JĀnis zaļoksnis environment, pollution, development: the case of uzbekistan

Figure 7.1. 
Composition 
of air

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ENVIRONMENT, POLLUTION, DEVELOPMENT:  THE CASE OF UZBEKISTAN
Air  pollution  hazard  has  sharply  increased  since  the  develop-
ment of Industrial Revolution and the mining industry. Industrial 
development  in  the  last  century  came  into  view  first  of  all  with 
smoke  tails  from  factory  chimneys  (Figure 7.2).  Some  production 
processes, for example soda production, entailed the release of a 
large number of aggressive and toxic substances into the environ-
ment.  The  first  victims  of  air  pollution  were  factory  workers  and 
people living near factories. In addition, many workers became 
industrial accident victims. Since labour safety was among the 
issues actively dealt with concurrently with other workers’ social 
protection  issues,  a  certain  progress  was  achieved  in  this  field  in 
the course of time. Yet the overall industrial development and 
emission of hazardous substances reached such levels that labour 
protection at workplaces alone could not safeguard them against 
health damage. The London Great Smog caused by adverse weather 
conditions in 1952 lasted for several weeks and took its toll: about 
4000  people  had  died  prematurely  and  100
 
000  more  were  made 
ill due to the smog’s effects. Around this time, photochemical smog 
began to occur in the USA (Los Angeles) and Japan. In the 1970s the 
attention turned to precipitation pH changes, but at the beginning of 
the 1980s – to stratospheric ozone layer changes.
Although a range of air environ mental protection measures are 
being implemented today, it is estimated that the losses incurred by 
the effects of polluted air on the human health – medical expenses, 
loss of working capacity – still amount to hundreds of millions of 
euros per year just in the European Union countries.
Industrial pollution mostly occurs in the industrially developed 
regions  of  North  America,  Europe  and  Asia.  The  main  sources 
of  anthropogenic  pollution  that  also  affect  the  quality  of  air  are 
energy production, heating, transport, industrial production and 
agriculture, whereas the main air pollutants are 
a)  sulphur compounds;
b)  nitrogen compounds;
c)  carbon compounds;
d)  halogenated organic substances; 
e)  metals and their compounds;
f)  aerosols and dust; 
g)  radioactive elements.
Both industrial processes and heating contributes to air pollu-
tion. Incineration of household waste pollutes air significantly. From 
traditional  fuels,  coal  is  the  most  polluting.  Another  considerable 
pollution source group is motor transport – as motor exhaust gases 
contain various harmful substances. The exhaust gas composition 
may differ depending on driving habits, engine operating conditions, 
fuel supply and quality. In the process of incomplete combustion