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Climate Change and Rising Cancer Rates Essay

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How does climate change increase people’s probabilities of developing cancer? Global warming, a rise in the average global temperature, is a form of climate change that has caused glaciers to melt, acid rain to form, and sea levels to rise killing both vegetation and animals. What you probably don’t know is that climate change is killing humans too. “Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide and accounted for 7.6 million deaths in 2008” , which is equivalent to the population of Bulgaria. Global warming will also increase exposure to toxic chemicals and heavy rainfall will wash the toxins into the water. The chance of developing cancer is increased due to the enhanced exposure to ultraviolet rays as a result of the deterioration of …show more content…

The second layer is the stratosphere (6-30 miles above Earth’s surface) which is further away from the Earth’s surface and helps absorb harmful ultraviolet rays. Without an important layer of insulation of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas, Earth would merely be another frozen rock hurtling through space. Carbon is located throughout the planet in plants, the soil, animals, oceans, and humans. It is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide through human actions such as cutting down trees and burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas). As well, the release of environmental chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which are gases used in air condition systems and for the creation of foam and soap. Winds carry the CFCs to the stratosphere where they are broken apart by the ultraviolet radiation and released as chlorine atoms. The chlorine atoms then combine with the ozone molecules, resulting in the destruction of thousands of pure ozone molecules. Other hazardous environmental chemicals, which case the same outcome, are pesticides such as methyl bromide, halons used in fire extinguishers, and methyl chloroform used in adhesives and metal degreasing (chemical formula being CH3CCI3). The result is “today’s atmosphere containing 32 percent more carbon dioxide than it did at the start of the industrial era.” The human body is made up of millions of

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