The Hidden Pollution in our Daily Lives
The word pollution stems from the Latin word pollutionem, meaning “to desecrate, to defile” (Online Etymology Dictionary, n.d.). In today’s globalised and fast-paced world, the separation of production and consumption processes often entails that such desecration on Mother Nature and human lives pass unnoticed. Yet, pollution remains embedded in the majority of the everyday products and events we encounter. Today, we decided to take a second look at our day’s activities, to identify the hidden pollution that they may have generated.
Snippets from Our Daily Routine (Circuit Breaker Edition)
Since the start of the great Singapore Circuit Breaker (CB), we like many other Singaporeans, have found ourselves sleeping and waking up much later as compared to our pre-CB routines. Madeleine’s past habit of making a homemade breakfast has been replaced by her parents ‘dabao-ing’ lunch for her (noon being a typical wake up time for her). Today, lunch consisted of curry chicken and assorted side dishes, which she is ashamed to admit, generated a large amount of plastic trash as pictured in Image 1.
Image 1 : Trash from today’s Lunch
Alicia’s day on the other hand, began with a parcel delivery, a product of her retail therapy phase on ‘Shopee’ (a popular shopping platform in Singapore) during the start of CB (Image 2).
Image 2: Trash from Parcel Delivery
Upon reflection, it was evident to us that pollution was very much embedded in such trash that we generated. Toxic leakages of chemicals into nearby water bodies or pollutants into the air follows plastic and such disposal packaging from its manufacture overseas to eventual disposal via incineration and dumping into Singapore’s Semakau landfill (The Straits Times, 2018). In this way, pollutants like microplastics can eventually end up contaminating our water supply and food chains or end up in our lungs itself through direct inhalation (CIEL, n.d.).
After lunch, Alicia spent the rest of the afternoon playing the video game ‘Overcooked’ (Image 3), while Madeleine similarly spent her time surfing social media and YouTube, as well as watching the online lectures for our Geography module, GE3246. On a surface level, using our phones, PC computers and laptops have become second nature to us, essential to our daily functioning during CB. However, today we stopped to think about the link between pollution and my electronic devices (Image 4).
Image 3: Overcooked Video Game (Source: Steam)
Image 4: Electricity Use for Activities
Singapore generates 95% of its electrical supply from natural gas (EMA, n.d.), a fuel source largely touted for its efficiency and low environmental impacts. However, is it as non-pollutive as we believe? Natural gas is most commonly produced by hydraulic fracturing, and Carpenter (2016) highlights the pollutive problems associated with it, including:
- Groundwater contamination from the leakage of toxic wastewater containing salt and chemicals, during its transportation or disposal.
- The release of methane and carcinogenic pollutants such as benzene, contributing to air pollution.
- These impacts are implicative of the short and long term health effects on “workers and near-by residents who are exposed to air and water contaminants, radioactivity and excessive noise and light pollution” (Carpenter, 2016).
Additionally, the long term impact on health from PC use is still very much up in the air. Bakó-Biró (2004) points out how this is a neglected yet prominent source of indoor pollution, with ‘stealth chemicals’ decreasing air quality, leading to Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) symptoms and lower productivity. More and more, we are wondering if the multiple laptops and computers in my vicinity during CB are the culprits behind our increase in migraines and fatigue.
Both of us then ended the day by winding down with the air conditioner switched on (Image 5). Once again, its pollutive cycle is linked to possible inefficient and improper processes during manufacture, the energy associated with its transportation and usage, and its eventual disposal should it stop working in the future.
Image 5: Air conditioner Usage
Such appliances highlight that we, in the comfort of our homes, may not be the ones experiencing firsthand the health and environmental impacts from the pollution generated in its life cycle. Rather, these impacts are often disproportionately felt across various communities, countries and regions, which is a significant issue within the study of environmental pollution. As such, this blog aims to uncover more well-hidden sources of pollution in day-to-day life, as well as bring about a possible revolution of lifestyle changes and solutions.
Author: Madeleine Shutler
References:
Bakó-Biró, Z., Wargocki, P., Weschler, C. J., & Fanger, P. O. (2004). Effects of pollution from personal computers on perceived air quality, SBS symptoms and productivity in offices. Indoor air, 14(3), 178–187. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0668.2004.00218.x
Carpenter, D. O. (2016). Hydraulic fracturing for natural gas: impact on health and environment, Reviews on Environmental Health, 31(1), 47-51. Doi: https://doi-org.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/10.1515/reveh-2015-0055
CIEL. (n.d.). Plastic and Human Health: A Lifecycle Approach to Plastic Pollution. Retrieved June 25, 2020, from
EMA. (n.d.). Electricity Journey. Retrieved June 25, 2020, from
https://www.ema.gov.sg/electricity-journey.aspx
Online Etymology Dictionary. (n.d.). Pollution (n.). Retrieved June 25, 2020, from
https://www.etymonline.com/word/pollution
The Straits Times. (2018, November 20). Watch: Where does all your rubbish go? Retrieved June 25, 2020, from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/where-does-all-your-rubbish-go