Air pollution

Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that
cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages the natural
environment, into the atmosphere.
The atmosphere is a complex, dynamic natural gaseous system that is essential to support life
on planet Earth. Stratospheric ozone depletion due to air pollution has long been recognized as a
threat to human health as well as to the Earth's ecosystems

Schematic drawing, causes and effects of air pollution: (1)

greenhouse effect, (2) particulate contamination, (3) increased UV radiation, (4) acid rain, (5)
increased ozone concentration, (6) increased levels of nitrogen oxides

An air pollutant is known as a substance in the air that can cause harm to humans and the
environment. Pollutants can be in the form of solid particles, liquid droplets, or gases. In
addition, they may be natural or man-made.[1]

Pollutants can be classified as either primary or secondary. Usually, primary pollutants are
substances carbon monoxide gas from a motor vehicle exhaust or sulfur dioxide released from
factories.

directly emitted from a process, such as ash from a volcanic eruption, the

• . Secondary pollutants are not emitted directly. Rather, they form in the air when
primary pollutants react or interact. An important example of a secondary pollutant is
ground level ozone — one of the many secondary pollutants that make up
photochemical smog Note that some pollutants may be both primary and secondary:
that is, they are both emitted directly and formed from other primary pollutants.
About 4 percent of deaths in the United States can be attributed to air pollution,
according to the Environmental Science Engineering Program at the Harvard School
of Public Health. Major primary pollutants produced by human activity include:
 1Sulfur oxides (SOx) - especially sulfur dioxide, a chemical compound with the
formula SO2. SO2 is produced by volcanoes and in various industrial processes. Since
coal and petroleum often contain sulfur compounds, their combustion generates sulfur
dioxide. Further oxidation of SO2, usually in the presence of a catalyst such as NO2,
forms H2SO4, and thus acid rain.[2] This is one of the causes for concern over the
environmental impact of the use of these fuels as power sources. 2 Nitrogen oxides
(NOx) - especially nitrogen dioxide are emitted from high temperature combustion.
Can be seen as the brown haze dome above or plume downwind of cities. Nitrogen
dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO2. It is one of the several
nitrogen oxides. This reddish-brown toxic gas has a characteristic sharp, biting odor.
NO2 is one of the most prominent air pollutants. 3Carbon monoxide - is a
colourless, odourless, non-irritating but very poisonous gas. It is a product by
incomplete combustion of fuel such as natural gas, coal or wood. Vehicular exhaust is
a major source of carbon monoxide . 4 Carbon dioxide (CO2) - a greenhouse gas
emitted from combustion but is also a gas vital to living organisms. It is a natural gas
in the atmosphere. 5Volatile organic compounds - VOCs are an important outdoor
air pollutant. In this field they are often divided into the separate categories of
methane (CH4) and non-methane (NMVOCs). Methane is an extremely efficient
greenhouse gas which contributes to enhanced global warming. Other hydrocarbon
VOCs are also significant greenhouse gases via their role in creating ozone and in
prolonging the life of methane in the atmosphere, although the effect varies
depending on local air quality. Within the NMVOCs, the aromatic compounds
benzene, toluene and xylene are suspected carcinogens and may lead to. leukemia
through prolonged exposure. 1,3-butadiene is another dangerous compound which is
often associated with industrial uses. 6 Particulate matter - Particulates, alternatively
referred to as particulate matter (PM) or fine particles, are tiny particles of solid or
liquid suspended in a gas. In contrast, aerosol refers to particles and the gas together.
Sources of particulate matter can be man made or natural. Some particulates occur
naturally, originating from volcanoes, dust storms, forest and grassland fires, living
vegetation, and sea spray. Human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels in
vehicles, power plants and various industrial processes also generate significant
cardiopulmonary disease.[2][3]mounts of aerosols. Averaged over the globe,
anthropogenic aerosols—those
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) - harmful to the ozone layer emitted from products
currently banned from use.

Ammonia (NH3) - emitted from agricultural processes. Ammonia is a compound with the
formula NH3. It is normally encountered as a gas with a characteristic pungentodor. Ammonia
contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor
to foodstuffs and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or indirectly, is also a building block for
the synthesis of many pharmaceuticals. Although in wide use, ammonia is both caustic and
hazardous Minor air pollutants include:

• A large number of minor hazardous air pollutants. Some of these are regulated in USA
under the Clean Air Act and in Europe under the Air Framework Directive.
• A variety of persistent organic pollutants, which can attach to particulate matter.
• Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that are resistant to
environmental degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes.
Because of this, they have been observed to persist in the environment, to be capable of
long-range transport, bioaccumulate in human and animal tissue, biomagnify in food
chains, and to have potential significant impacts on human health and the environment
Natural sourcesDust from natural sources, usually large areas of land with little or no
vegetation.
• Methane, emitted by the digestion of food by animals, for example cattle.
• Radon gas from radioactive decay within the Earth's crust. Radon is a colorless, odorless,
naturally occurring, radioactive noble gas that is formed from the decay of radium. It is
considered to be a health hazard. Radon gas from natural sources can accumulate in
buildings, especially in confined areas such as the basement and it is the second most
frequent cause of lung cancer, after cigarette smoking.

• Smoke and carbon monoxide from wildfires. Volcanic activity, which produce
sulfur, chlorine, and ash particulates. The United States Environmental Protection
Agency has published a compilation of air pollutant emission factors for a multitude
of industrial sources.[4] The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and many other
countries have published similar compilations, as well as the European
Environment Agency Health effects The World Health Organization states that 2.4
million people die each year from causes directly attributable to air pollution, with
1.5 million of these deaths attributable to indoor air pollution.[11] "Epidemiological
studies suggest that more than 500,000 Americans die each year from
cardiopulmonary disease linked to breathing fine particle air pollution. . ."[12] A
study by the University of Birmingham has shown a strong correlation between
pneumonia related deaths and air pollution from motor vehicles.[13] Worldwide more
deaths per year are linked to air pollution than Europeans die from air pollution
annually.[citation needed] Direct causes of air pollution related deaths include aggravated
asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, lung and heart diseases, and respiratory allergies.
[citation needed]
The US EPA estimates that a proposed set of changes in diesel engine
technology (Tier 2) could result in 12,000 fewer premature mortalities, 15,000 fewer
heart attacks, 6,000 fewer emergency room visits by children with asthma, and
8,900 fewer respiratory-related hospital admissions each year in the United States.
[citation needed]
The health effects caused by air pollutants may range from subtle
biochemical and physiological changes to difficulty in breathing, wheezing, coughing
and aggravation of existing respiratory and cardiac conditions. These effects can
result in increased medication use, increased doctor or emergency room visits, more
hospital admissions and premature death. The human health effects of poor air
quality are far reaching, but principally affect the body's respiratory system and the
cardiovascular system. Individual reactions to air pollutants depend on the type of
pollutant a person is exposed to, the degree of exposure, the individual's health
status and genetics.[ to automobile accidents.[citation needed] Published in 2005 suggests
that 310,000 Effects on children Cities around the world with high exposure to air
pollutants have the possibility of children living within them to develop asthma,
pneumonia and other lower respiratory infections as well as a low initial birth rate.
 Protective measures to ensure the youths' health are being taken in cities such as New
Delhi, India where buses now use compressed natural gas to help eliminate the “pea-
soup” smog.[26] Research by the World Health Organization shows there is the greatest
concentration of particulate matter particles in countries with low economic world power
and high poverty and population rates. Examples of these countries include Egypt, Sudan,
Mongolia, and Indonesia. The Clean Air Act was passed in 1970, however in 2002 at
least 146 million Americans were living in areas that did not meet at least one of the
“criteria pollutants” laid out in the 1997 National Ambient Air Quality Standards.[27]
Those pollutants included: ozone, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide,
carbon monoxide, and lead. Because children are outdoors more and have higher minute
ventilation they are more susceptible to the dangers of air pollution Control devices The
following items are commonly used as pollution control devices by industry or
transportation devices. They can either destroy contaminants or remove them from an
exhaust stream before it is eParticulate control Mechanical collectors (dust cyclones,
multicyclones) Electrostatic precipitators An electrostatic precipitator (ESP), or
electrostatic air cleaner is a particulate collection device that removes particles from a
flowing gas (such as air) using the force of an induced electrostatic charge. Electrostatic
precipitators are highly efficient filtration devices that minimally impede the flow mitted
into the atmosphere. of gases through the device, and can easily remove fine particulate
matter such as dust and smoke from the air stream. 2 Baghouses Designed to handle
heavy dust loads, a dust collector consists of a blower, dust filter, a filter-cleaning system,
and a dust receptacle or dust removal system (distinguished from 3 Particulate
scrubbersWet scrubber is a form of pollution control technology. The term describes a
variety of devices that use pollutants from a furnace flue gas or from other gas streams. In
a wet scrubber, the polluted gas stream is brought into contact with the scrubbing liquid,
by spraying it with the liquid, by forcing it through a pool of liquid, or by some other
contact method, so as to remove the pollutants. air cleaners which utilize disposable
filters to remove the dustScrubbers
• affle spray scrubber
o Low NOx burners
o Selective catalytic reduction (SCR)
o Selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR)
o NOx scrubbers
o Exhaust gas recirculation
o NOx control
o Cyclonic spray scrubber
o Ejector venturi scrubber
o Mechanically aided scrubber
o Spray tower

. Most polluted cities Air pollution is usually concentrated in densely populated

metropolitan areas, especially in developing countries where environmental regulations are
relatively lax or nonexistent. However, even populated areas in developed countries attain
unhealthy levels of pollution. Carbon dioxide emissions Total CO2 emissions
Main article: List of countries by carbon dioxide emissions
Countries with the highest CO2 emissions
Carbon dioxide emissions per
Country Percentage of global total
year (106 Tons) (2006)
China 6,103 21.5%
United States 5,752 20.2%
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Russia 1,564 5.5%
India 1,510 5.3%
Japan 1293 4.6%
Germany 805 2.8%

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