The Human Health Impact of Coal Pollution in China

Domestic use of coal has had tremendous adverse effects on people’s health in the world. In China, the situation is worse given that millions of people burn raw coal and in the process emit high levels of toxic compounds. It goes without mentioning that in Guizhou Province alone over 3,000 people are suffering from arsenic poisoning. These health risks basically stem from the consumption of chili pepper that is dried using coal as a source of fuel. According to literature, the Chinese people use coal to dry their chili pepper as well as corn. This means that high levels of coal constituents like fluoride and arsenic accumulate in these foods, thereby, putting people’s lives to significant risk. In addition, the polycyclic hydrocarbons that are found in coal in significantly high amounts, have been associated with the prevalence of esophageal and lung cancers in China.

This topic has been portrayed in a negative manner because of the great risk that coal poses to human life. It shows people that certain things that look perfectly normal could be actually killing them slowly. For instance, it goes without saying that mineral poisoning cannot be easily reversed, especially when accumulation has reached some level. This means that the next step in the lives of the poisoned individuals is either wanton suffering or outright death. This underscores the need to act promptly and save the situation. Understandably, this topic portrays the issue negatively so that the reader can have a negative opinion of domestic use of coal. Indeed, it seeks to warn policy makers in China to revise their energy policies with regard to coal in order to have a sustainable society. As a matter of fact, the health problems are likely to affect anyone including their own loved ones. This explains the negative portrayal of coal consumption in all aspects.

 

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The negative portrayal is certainly meant to create an instantaneous negative opinion in the minds of the general public. It should be noted that several countries other than China use coal in a similar way. This means that they are equally exposed to the health risks that Chinese people face. It will, therefore, be imperative on them to cut down on their coal consumption in order to have a longer life. The most striking thing about the paper is the revelation that only trace amounts of certain minerals in coal can cause these health risks. This should cause people who consume coal in any way a great worry because they are in danger of metal poisoning. Indeed, the statistics given about coal consumption in the United States compared to that of China should tell it all. According to this literature, China is not only the largest producer of coal, but also the greatest consumer in the world. Conversely, developed countries like the United States have negligible percentage consumption of coal. As such, the public will begin to question exactly why the United States does not use coal as a domestic source of fuel. It goes without saying that these statistics directly question the integrity of coal as a source of fuel. Essentially, the public gets an impression that coal is only used in places where the potential harms to health are not fully understood.

In conclusion, this topic has been portrayed in a negative manner because of the great risk it poses to human life. It shows people that certain things that look perfectly normal could be actually killing them slowly. The negative portrayal is certainly meant to create an instantaneous negative opinion in the minds of the general public. In fact, the statistics given about coal consumption in the United States compared to that of China is meant to dissuade the general public against consumption of coal.