Aerosol As A Negative Effect Essay, Research Paper

Aerosol as a Negative Effect in Society

If you were to look at a few of the products sitting around or maybe some you are using, you probably wouldn’t think twice about the effects they have on society. Many products that are used everyday were produced with positive affects in mind, but what many people don’t realize is that many have harmful affects. Many products have directly and indirectly destroyed people’s lives, changing the way we view these products. In Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein constructed his monster in an effort to create life. When the monster began to be rejected from society, he insisted on becoming a threat to man. Many products we use everyday are changing people’s lives and changing the environment; Not for the better like they were intended, but for the worse. Like Frankenstein’s monster, aerosol was produced with positive interest in mind but has risen as a major threat and concern to today’s society.

The first use, which will later be evolved into aerosol, of compressed air was in the early 1700’s. Compressed air was used in jackhammers along with many other tools that required pressure to operate them. Compressed air is able to travel through a small air turbine to turn a shaft, or can be expanded through a nozzle to produce a high-speed jet, as in a paint sprayer. A Swiss mathematician and physicist, named Daniel Bernoulli, made this discovery. He used the concept of pressurizing aerosol in a container to dispense a wide variety of substances in the form of fine sprays, foams, or liquid streams. Bernoulli’s first

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purpose of using aerosol was to disprove the concept that as the speed of a moving fluid increases, the pressure within that fluid decreases. Bernoulli’s Principle states that the total energy in a steadily flowing fluid system is a constant along the flow path. An increase in the fluid’s speed must therefore be matched by a decrease in its pressure. (Compressed Air)

Aerosol is a product that is used everyday by almost everyone. Aerosol is used in spray paint cans, hairspray containers, and even some whipped cream dispensers. Since aerosol can be used in liquid and air dispensers, it has several advantages. Aerosol dispensers allow for easier to handle containers. Instead of having to pump a material out of a container, aerosol has made it as easy as pressing a button. The aerosol containers are also much easier and convenient than pump dispensers. Aerosol can easily be made, and as a result it is cheaper than the pump containers that require many parts and accessories.

The disadvantages of aerosol are immense. The affects of aerosol have left a mark on the ozone can never be corrected. Over Antarctica, the stratospheric ozone has been depleted over the past 15 years. (Part I) In the 1970’s some scientists concluded that ozone concentrations were slowly lessening. These scientists have concluded that the uses of CFC’s are the cause of the destruction of the ozone. When CFC’s are dispensed, they rise to the upper atmosphere and destroy the ozone. When CFC’s are decomposed by ultraviolet light, they free a chlorine atom that reacts with the ozone to form new compounds. This process destroys the ozone. (Compton’s Encyclopedia) The effects CFC’s have left on the ozone are referred to as the ozone hole. The press and public, with the problem of global warming, often confuse the ozone hole. (Part I) If the stratospheric ozone layer were to become less dense, more ultraviolet rays would reach the Earth, causing genetic damage to many organisms and leading to increased incidence of skin cancer in

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humans. (Compton’s Encyclopedia) The first global agreement to restrict CFC’s came with the signing of Montreal Protocol in 1987. This agreement was aimed to reduce them by half by the year 2000. (Part I)

Along with destroying the ozone, aerosol is misused as an inhalant and is destroying many people’s lives. Many people use aerosol dispensers as a way to inhale aerosol. Inhalants come in many types of products. Aerosol spray cans are often used to get a “high”. The product is inhaled through the mouth or the nose. It is often sprayed into a plastic bag or soaked onto a cloth or sleeve before being inhaled. In some instances it is inhaled directly from the container. When the vapors enter the lungs, they pass directly into the bloodstream and are quickly circulated through the body. (How Drugs Affect) Young people, especially between the ages of 7-17, are more likely to abuse inhalants, in part because they are readily available and inexpensive. (As a Matter) Inhalants are used to get a “high” or make the person using the inhalant feel happy for a short time. The effects of any drug depends on several factors: the amount taken or used at one time, the user’s past experience, or the manner in which the drug is taken. (Facts About)

The effects aerosol has on the inhaler’s body are severe. The immediate effects of using an inhalant range from bad breath to double vision. Nausea, loss of appetite, runny or bloody nose, the feeling or look of being tired, vomiting, headaches, and erratic heart rhythms are also just a few of the immediate effects of using inhalants. These immediate effects are only minor compared to the long-term effects. Weight loss, cardiac arrest, permanent damage to the nervous system, impaired respiratory system and even death are a few of the long term effects. The abuse of inhalants may also have an affect on one’s personality. Physiological effects occur rapidly because the substance travels directly to the brain after passing through the lungs and the left side of the heart. Other effects are

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irritability, poor memory or confusion, lack of concentration, and aggressive behavior. (Inhalants) The use of inhalants can have a harmful affect on an unborn child. The substances in solvents can pass through the placental barrier and enter the fetal bloodstream. All drugs have some effects on the unborn child including chromosomal and fetal damage. (Inhalants) Sniffing inhalants during pregnancy is linked with “Fetal Solvents Syndrome” which has symptoms similar to those in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. (Fast Facts)

Like abusing any kind of drug, the inhalation of aerosol can easily be noticed if you are familiar with the signs and symptoms. Some signs and symptoms of inhalant abuse are runny eyes or nose, slurred speech, excessive laughter, sweating, paranoia, and withdrawal from family activities. (Dead Giveaways) If you noticed these signs in someone, it is advised that you address the person that has a problem with inhalation and get them help as soon as possible.

Many people are not aware of the affects aerosol has on society. Most products that have negative effects usually affect just one aspect of our world. Aerosol was produced to be a positive product, but has risen as a major threat and concern to today’s society. Many of today’s products have negative affects on society, but aerosol has not only damaged just a few people’s lives as being an inhalant, it has also affected the entire world by depleting the ozone.

Even after the extensive research on the positive and negative aspects of aerosol on society, I’m still undecided on my decision whether aerosol is beneficial or has done more harm than it is worth. I don’t feel this paper was a waste of time, because I have become more aware of how everyday products can not only benefit us, but also do harm and damage to the world we live