How do pets, insects, and other wildlife fare when it comes to dealing with the negative effects of air pollution? Spoiler: It’s not good.
Air pollution produces countless problems for humans including allergies, chronic illness, and even skin problems. There is a lot of information on how air pollution affects us humans, but what about animals? To get a better understanding of how air pollution impacts more than just humans, we examine some of the ways poor air quality is detrimental to wildlife and pets alike.
To help protect our pets, it is important to keep homes well ventilated and pollutant-free. To create the perfect indoor air environment, choose a Venta Humidifier for the right balance of humidification and natural reduction of indoor air pollutants. With no over-humidification, you don’t have to worry about an influx of mold and dust mites causing allergies. The Venta Humidifier does not use dirty filters and does not produce ozone or white dust, so be assured your pet will be comfortable and safe around a Venta Humidifier.
For all the bird owners out there, pet birds, in particular, need adequate indoor air quality. Mary McQueen, founder of Hand and Beak, and owner of Luigi the Lovebird explains how the humidifier has made a difference in her air quality:
Birds have a complex respiratory system and air quality is supremely important, clean air as well as humidified air. Also if a bird gets sick the vet bills can be astronomical, thousands of dollars is not unheard of for a serious illness. People say all the time that the air in my apartment is “different” from the air in the hallway outside my door. I love my Venta so much that one time I kissed it!
Bees, in particular, are a hot topic when it comes to discussing the effects of air pollution on wildlife. Air pollutants break down plant-emitted scent molecules, which insect pollinators use to locate food. When these odors are modified by pollution, bees become confused, increasing their foraging time and decreasing pollination.
We found that when we confused the bees’ environment by modifying the gases present in the atmosphere, they spent more time foraging and would bring back less food, which would affect their colonies […] Because the concentration of scents changes drastically in air polluted environments, this could impact important interactions between plants and insects […] Declines in the pollination of wild plants may lead to increases in the population of plants that do not rely on pollinators, and pollinator declines would lead to decreases in crop yields. Honeybees and other pollinators are in trouble almost everywhere, and they pay us a lot of services through their pollination.
By studying the correlation between bee populations and pollution, experts can better understand what factors are affecting the declining numbers and what actions need to be taken to better the situation.
Birds are directly and indirectly affected by air pollution. They spend more time in the open air and have a higher breathing rate than humans, exposing themselves to greater levels of air pollution. Studies have shown that for birds with long-term exposure to pollution, there was reduced egg production and hatching, lung failure, inflammation, and reduced body size.
Bird habitats are affected by pollution as well. Ozone damages plants that birds rely on for food, nesting, and shelter. When acid rain impacts the fish population that birds feed on, their food sources become scarce and populations decline.
Air pollution has an intricate effect on our planet. All the ways air pollution affects humans, animals, and our ecosystem are connected. It is important to understand and recognize this in order to know how to take action.
For more information on how air pollution and other types of pollution are disrupting wildlife life cycles and ecosystems around the world, and on how you can get involved in protection and conservation, visit the World Wildlife Fund’s special report on pollution.
