Think of your friend who occasionally eats too much ice cream - that stomach ache he gets is a bit like an acute effect. It's quick, intense, but also temporary. Now, imagine your grandma who's been knitting for decades and now has a constantly aching wrist - that's more like a chronic effect, long-term and persistent. In our environment, both these effects can occur due to pollution.

Just like your little sibling who can be both fun and annoying, UV (Ultraviolet) radiation from the sun is a double-edged sword. Sure, it helps your body make Vitamin D, but too much of it can lead to some serious problems, particularly if our ozone layer, the Earth's natural sunglasses, is thinned by pollutants like CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons).

Remember grandma's wrist from knitting? Chronic effects are a lot like that, they happen over a long time. For our eyes, chronic exposure to UV radiation can lead to cataracts - think of it as a foggy window on your eyeball, blurring your vision. Over time, this can lead to blindness.

Ever fallen asleep in the sun and woke up looking like a tomato? That's sunburn - an acute effect of UV radiation on your skin. It can also cause mutations during cell division, think of it as a photocopying error. Not ideal, but it's usually not a big deal unless it happens over and over.