Air Pollution

SUBMITTED BY : Divya Jacob Physical Science

• Air pollution is the addition of gases, chemicals, and particle matter into the atmosphere. Air pollution primarily comes from burning fossil fuels such as natural gas, petroleum, and coal. A study has listed air pollution as the cause of four percent of the deaths in the United States

• Humans are the main cause of air pollution. Industry, including factories and power plants, burn large quantities of fuel. Burning coal and petroleum releases sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxide into the air. Airplanes, boats, and cars burn petroleum, releasing carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

• Some air pollution is not directly caused by humans: for example, animals emit carbon dioxide when they breathe, and volcanoes release sulfur oxide. However, most air pollution is linked directly or indirectly to human activity. This means that air pollution can be best controlled by modifying human activity to burn a smaller quantity of fossil fuels.

Industry, including factories and power plants, burn large quantities of fuel. Burning coal and petroleum releases sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxide into the air. Airplanes, boats, and cars burn petroleum, releasing carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The waste in landfills releases methane. Animals emit carbon dioxide when they breathe, and volcanoes release sulfur oxide.

EXAMPLE OF AIR POLLUTION

EXAMPLE OF AIR POLLUTION

Combustion of gasoline and other hydrocarbon fuels in cars, trucks, and airplanesBurning of fossil fuels (oil, coal, and dinosaur bones)InsecticidesHerbicidesEveryday radioactive falloutsDust from fertilizersMining operationsLivestock feedlots

SOURCES OF POLLUTION

• Different engines and fuel combinations give out different emissions in different quantities.

• Some engines have catalysts which effectively remove part of the harmful gases.

SMOG

• particulates (especially lead)• nitrous oxides• potassium• Carbon monoxide

• Other toxic chemicals

ACID RAIN• Recent and current policies to reduce acid precipitation and• Nitrogen emissions are shifting the problem from one area • to another

• While emissions are remaining stable or decreasing in already• Heavily impacted areas, they are increasing in formerly• “clean” or relatively unimpacted areas • (including other countries!)

- Nitrogen is only one compound important in acid rain and• pollutant emissions to the atmosphere • sulfur – SOx – has been a relative success story• mercury is not an acid forming element, but is extremely• toxic and is still increasing

HUMAN EMISSIONS

FERTILIZERS COMBUSTION• NOx

• N2 +O2 --> 2NO • Forms in high temperatures of

combustion engine• Converted in the atmosphere to

HNO3 - nitric acid

• N2 +Energy H+--> NH3

• Formed by the Haber process• Added to fields all over the world,

but often lost after harvest

HOUSEHOLD AIR POLLUTION

HEALTH PROBLEMS• Air pollution is a major environmental health problem affecting the

developing and the developed countries alike. • The effects of air pollution on health are very complex as there are many

different sources, and their individual effects vary from one to the other.• It is not only the ambient air quality in the cities but also the indoor air

quality in the rural and the urban areas that are causing concern. In fact in the developing world the highest air pollution exposures occur in the indoor environment.

• Air pollutants that are inhaled have seriousimpact on human health affecting the lungs and the respiratory system; they are also taken up by the blood and pumped all round the body. These pollutants are also deposited on soil, plants, and in the water, further contributing to human exposure. As you read on you can learn about health impacts of specific air pollutants.

DISEASES• Respiratory and lung diseases including:

– Asthma attacks– Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease –COPD– Reduced lung function– Pulmonary cancer – caused by a series of carcinogen chemicals that through inhalation– Mesothelioma – a particular type of lung cancer, usually associated with exposure to asbestos (it

usually occurs 20-30 years after the initial exposure)– Pneumonia

• Leukemia – a sort of blood cancer usually associated to exposure of benzene vapors (through inhalation)

• Birth defects and immune system defects• Cardiovascular problems, heart diseases and stroke (an increased risk especially due to

particulate matter)• Neurobehavioral disorders - neurological problems and developmental deficits due to air

toxins such as mercury (which is the only volatile metal in elemental form)• Liver and other types of cancer – caused by breathing carcinogenic volatile chemicals• Premature death

REMADIAL MEASURES• Owners of the industrial units should be forced to install pollu

tion control devices in factories and disciplinary action including fines should be imposed against the errants.

• Manufacturers of the automobiles should follow euro and euro II norms, install latest pollu tion control devices in the vehicles.

• Diesel driven vehicles should be wise replaced by CNG and battery-driven vehicles.

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