Leaf burning pollutes the air and causes illness

In the Philippines, it is common to see clouds of smoke rising in fields due to leaves
being burned. This is an abhorrent practice that has been causing thousands of
Filipinos to suffer from lung diseases like asthma, lung cancer, and heart disease. The
government is losing millions of pesos in hospitalization expenses and lost productivity
due to people getting sick from the smoke.

This rampant burning of leaves and garbage in the provinces has to be stopped. The
law states that burning of leaves and wastes is harmful and illegal. However, some
politicians are slow to enforce the law, leading to more people getting seriously ill.

The smoke from leaf fires is made up of many tiny particles that can penetrate
deep into our lungs and cause the most health damage. People living near the area
can develop coughing, wheezing, chest pain, and difficulty of breathing. The symptoms
may appear a few days after exposure.

Leaf smoke effects

Leaf smoke contains many dangerous chemicals like carbon monoxide and
benzopyrene. Carbon monoxide binds with the hemoglobin in our red blood cells, and
reduces the amount of oxygen in our blood. When exposed to large amounts of smoke,
a person can collapse and die in a short span of time.

Patients with asthma, emphysema, lung disease, and heart disease are most
susceptible to the ill effects of leaf smoke. Some reports find an association between
smoke inhalation and cancer of the lungs, nose, and throat.

Small children and older adults are very susceptible to the smoke irritants. From eye
problems and tearing of the eyes, leaf smoke, in excess, may even lead to a person’s
death.

Air pollution effects

Worldwide, it is estimated that three billion metric tons of biomass — such as wood,
leaves, trees, grass, and trash — are being burned. This is the largest source of air
pollution in many rural areas, especially in the developing world.

People burn leaves and wood to dispose of leaves and use wood as fuel for cooking.
Biomass burning is estimated to produce 40 percent of the carbon dioxide, 32 percent
of the carbon monoxide, and 50 percent of the cancer-causing poly-aromatic
hydrocarbons.

In some provinces, incessant burning of leaves has caused a fog-like haze to envelop
the surroundings. This contributes to air pollution, which in turn may lead to global
warming.
In the country, we have more advocates for anti-smoking as compared to advocates
against leaf and waste burning. This is quite ironic since the smoke from leaf burning is
worse than 20 people smoking cigarettes in the open air. Leaf burning can suddenly
turn a clear day into a hazy fog. Moreover, there are documented episodes of leaf
burning that has led to forest fires.

Anti-burning law not being enforced           

Burning of leaves and waste materials is prohibited under Republic Act 9003 or the
Ecological Solid Waste Management Act  (Section 48, paragraph 3). People found to
violate this law will be penalized with imprisonment of one to 15 days and a
corresponding fine of P300 to P1,000.

The law states that burning leaves and wastes is harmful to one’s health. Leaf and
waste burning releases several poisons in the environment including:

• Carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Too much carbon dioxide can lead to global
warming and the destruction of the ozone layer.

• Sulfur oxides, nitrous oxides, and heavy metals. These chemicals may lead to
diseases of the lungs.

• Ash filled with poisoning materials. The ash that remains after burning is harmful to
one’s health and has no use as a fertilizer.

So what can we do with the leaves if we don’t burn them? We can use leaves as
compost, which is the most environment-friendly alternative to burning.

Leaves may be composted by placing them in an open pile, where they will decompose
easily in less than a year. The leaf compost is an excellent fertilizer, can improve
gardens, and may be used to fill lowland areas.

As an added information, wood burning for cooking is also hazardous to the health of
those living inside the house. Studies show that children develop asthma and
respiratory diseases when exposed to wood smoke.

A call for action

In conclusion, I strongly urge local chief executives to enforce the law and prohibit
people from burning leaves and waste materials. This will save the city millions of pesos
in hospitalization costs due to lung disease and heart disease.

Let us protect the health of our people and the lives of our family and relatives. This can
be a win-win situation for all concerned.
***

Author’s note: I would like to thank Dr. Jaime Sevilla, a respected ear nose throat (ENT)
specialist, for explaining his advocacy against leaf burning in the provinces. In his
medical missions in Calatagan, Dr. Sevilla had witnessed an increasing number of
patients with throat cancer and respiratory illness.

Ong, W. (July 21, 2015). Leaf burning pollutes the air and causes illness. Retrieved
November 18, 2015 from http://www.philstar.com/health-and-
family/2015/07/21/1479047/leaf-burning-pollutes-air-and-causes-illness
Kyndra Maxynne C. Camacho CMR 206 November 18, 2015

Smoke gets in your eyes — and lungs:

Burning leaves can release toxins that are harmful to our health.

I. Name of Gases
A. Sulfur Oxide (SOx) - Sulphur dioxide (SO2) & Sulphur trioxide (SO3)
SOx refer to all Sulphur oxides, the two major ones being Sulphur dioxide (SO 2)
and Sulphur trioxide (SO3). Sulphur dioxide is a colorless gas with a pungent, irritating
odor and taste. It is highly soluble in water forming weakly acidic sulphurous acid. When
Sulphur dioxide combines with the oxygen (O 2) in the air some Sulphur trioxide is slowly
formed. Sulphur trioxide rapidly combines with water to produce sulphuric acid. The
lifespan of Sulphur oxides in the atmosphere is from 4 to 10 days.
B. Nitrous Oxides (N2O)
Nitrous oxide has no color, odor, or taste and is non-toxic. In the air it is rapidly
oxidized to nitrogen dioxide. Nitrous oxide is a colorless, slightly sweet-smelling, non-
toxic gas which occurs naturally in the atmosphere. Man-made nitrous oxide is used as
the anaesthetic commonly called "laughing gas".
II. Properties or KMT of gases in the Article
The article stated that the smoke from leaf fires is made up of many tiny particles that
can penetrate deep into our lungs and cause the most health damage.

- It says that gases are made up of tiny particles which is one of the postulates
of KMT that explains how gases behave. It states that Gases are composed
of a large number of particles that behave like hard, spherical objects in a
state of constant, random motion.
Furthermore, the properties of Sulfur Oxide specifically the Sulfur Dioxide includes:
 Sulphur dioxide is prepared by burning Sulphur in oxygen or air. S + O2 ==>
SO2
 About 2.5 times as heavy as air, with a suffocating smell, faint sweetish odor.
 Colorless liquid or pungent gas, which is the product of the combustion of
Sulphur on air.
 Its melting point is -72.7 degree C, its boiling point is -10 degree C and its relative
density is 1.43.
 The structural formula of Sulphur dioxide is SO2, and it is a covalent, planer
molecule which is v-shaped with an angle of 120 degrees.
 Has a molecular weight (lb/mol) of 64.06
 Has a critical pressure (psi) of 1142.0
 Has a boiling point (°F)of 14.3 and melting point (°F) of -103.9

Furthermore, the properties of Nitrous Oxide include:

 A colorless, non-toxic gas with a faint, sweet odor.
 Nitrous oxide supports combustion by releasing the dipolar bonded oxygen
radical,thus it can relight a glowing splint.
 Has a molecular weight (lb/mol) of 44.01
 Has a critical temp. (°F) of 97.6
 Has a critical pressure (psi) of 1053.3
 Has a boiling point (°F) of -128.3
Has a melting point (°F) of -131.6

III. Sources
A. Sulfuric Dioxide - Ninety-five percent of pollution related sulfur oxide emissions are in
the form of sulfur dioxide (SO2), a heavy, colorless gas with an odor like just struck
matches.
 Natural sources of Sulphur dioxide include volcanoes and hot springs
 Sulphur dioxide is also formed by the oxidation of hydrogen sulphide (H 2S), a
toxic gas that smells like rotten eggs
 Oxidation occurs when hydrogen Sulphide combines with the oxygen in air
 Hydrogen Sulphide is released by marshes and other places on land and in
oceans where biological decay is taking place
 Hydrogen Sulphide is frequently found with natural gas. These deposits are
referred to as sour gas
 Man-made sources of Sulphur dioxide include sour gas processing, oil sands
production, coal combustion, ore refining, chemical manufacturing and
other fossil fuel processing and burning
Some sources include:

 From coal-burning electrical utilities (over 65% of SO2 released to the air, or
more than 13 million tons per year, comes from electric utilities, especially those
that burn coal).
 From pulp and paper mills
 From natural sources
 From other human-generated sources

B. Nitrous oxide – It is naturally present in the atmosphere as part of the Earth's

nitrogen cycle, and has a variety of natural sources. However, human activities such as
agriculture, fossil fuel combustion, wastewater management, and industrial
processes are increasing the amount of N2O in the atmosphere.
 It is emitted when people add nitrogen to the soil through the use of synthetic
fertilizers
 And is also emitted during the breakdown of nitrogen in livestock manure
and urine
 It is emitted when transportation fuels are burned. Motor vehicles, including
passenger cars and trucks, are the primary source of N2O emissions from
transportation
 It is generated as a byproduct during the production of nitric acid, which is
used to make synthetic commercial fertilizer, and in the production of adipic
acid, which is used to make fibers, like nylon, and other synthetic products
 In nature, they are a result of bacterial processes, biological growth and
decay, lightning, and forest and grassland fires
 The primary source of man-made nitrogen oxides is from the burning of fossil
fuels
 Of the nitrogen oxides emitted, most is nitric oxide, some is nitrous oxide and
less than 10 per cent is nitrogen dioxide
 The amount of nitrogen dioxide emitted varies with the temperature of
combustion; as temperature increases so does the level of nitrogen dioxide
 Agriculture also plays a role in nitrogen oxide emissions with the use of
fertilizers contributing nitrous oxide to the atmosphere.

IV. Ways on How to Eliminate or Conserve

A. Sulfur Oxide
 Approaches for reducing SOx emissions include using clean fuels, cleaning
sulfur-cointaing fuels,, and flue gas desulfurization gas technique ( is a method
that allows a relatively deep SOx removal). Switching to low-sulfur fuels, or
cleaning high – sulfur fuels, is an effective means of preventing SO x emissions as the
amount of SO2 produced directly depends on the sulfur content of the fuel. There are
several options for reducing SO2 emissions, including using coal containing less sulfur,
washing the coal, and using devices called “scrubbers” to chemically remove the SO2
from the gases leaving the smokestack. Power plants can also switch fuels—for
example, burning natural gas creates much less SO 2 than burning coal. Certain
approaches will also have the additional benefit of reducing other pollutants such as
mercury and carbon dioxide (CO 2). Understanding these “co-benefits” has become
important in seeking cost-effective air pollution reduction strategies. Finally, power
plants can use technologies that do not burn fossil fuels. Each of these options,
however, has its own costs and benefits; there is no single universal solution.

B. Nitrous Oxides

In agriculture, the application of fertilizers accounts for the majority of N2O

emissions and emissions can be reduced by reducing nitrogen-based fertilizer
applications and applying fertilizers more efficiently, as well as following better manure
management practices. In transportation, Nitrous oxide is a byproduct of fuel
combustion, so reducing mobile fuel consumption in motor vehicles can reduce
transportation emissions. Additionally, the introduction of pollution control technologies,
such as catalytic converters to reduce exhaust pollutants from passenger cars, can also
reduce emissions of N2O. In Industry, Nitrous oxide is generally emitted from industry
through fossil fuel combustion so technological upgrades and fuel switching are
effective ways to reduce industry emissions of N2O. Production of adipic acid results in
N2O emissions that can be reduced through technological upgrades.

Nevertheless, as showed by the news article, Leaf burning pollutes the air and
causes illness, one way of eliminating the emission of Sulfur Oxides and Nitrous Oxides
is by not burning leafs or other wastes which causes harm not only in our environment
but also in our health.

V. References
 Air Products. (n.d.). Physical Properties for Gases. Retrieved November 18, 2015
from http://www.airproducts.com/products/Gases/gas-facts/physical-properties/physical-
properties-nitrous-oxide.aspx

Air Quality. (n.d.). Sulfur Dioxide. Retrieved November 18, 2015 from
http://www.hcdoes.org/airquality/monitoring/so2.htm

CIESIN Thematic Guides (n.d.). Reducing Nitrous Oxide Emissions from

Nitrogenous Fertilizer. Retrieved November 18, 2015 from
http://www.ciesin.org/TG/AG/nitfert.html

EPA. (n.d.). Reducing Acid Rain. November 18, 2015 from

http://www3.epa.gov/acidrain/reducing/

GenChem. (n.d.). Kinetic Molecular Theory. Retrieved November 18, 2015 from
http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/ch4/kinetic4.html

NITROGEN OXIDES (NOx). Retrieved November 18, 2015 from

http://dwb.unl.edu/teacher/nsf/c09/c09links/www.casahome.org/nitrogen.htm

O'Leary, D. (2000). Sulphur Dioxide. Retrieved November 18, 2015 from

http://www.ucc.ie/academic/chem/dolchem/html/comp/so2.html

Science Learning. (n.d.). Inhibiting nitrous oxide emissions. Retrieved November

18, 2015 from http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Soil-Farming-and-Science/NZ-
Research/Inhibiting-nitrous-oxide-emissions

SULPHUR OXIDES (SOx). Retrieved November 18, 2015 from

http://dwb.unl.edu/teacher/nsf/c09/c09links/www.casahome.org/sulphur.htm