What is air pollution? According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Victoria, “Air pollution occurs when the air contains, gases, dust, fumes, or odour in harmful amounts.” Air pollution comes from many different things, which can be harmful to humans, animals, and the environment. For humans it can lead to problems with health such as respiratory systems. It comes in different forms of pollutants, which are various different chemical compounds. For example, carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ammonia (NH3) are considered primary pollutants while SO3 (sulfur trioxide) and HNO3 (Nitric acid) are secondary pollutants (The Chemistry of Air Pollution). But, what is the link air pollution has to chemistry? Air pollution …show more content…
According to SEPA, “Carbon monoxide is colourless, odourless, and a very poisonous gas.” But, what is the chemical side of it? SEPA states, that CO is a by-product of an incomplete combustion reaction, which involves carbon based energy sources, for example the burning of coal or wood. So, how is carbon monoxide formed? When not enough oxygen is available in order to create CO2 then CO is made instead, which is harmful to humans if it is inhaled (The Chemistry of Air Pollution). Another pollutant that is primary is NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), which has physical properties of being a reddish brown gas accompanied with an unpleasant smell and when high in concentration can be poisonous (The Chemistry of Air Pollution). How is NO2 formed? When burned at high temperatures, fossil fuels form NO2 pollutants that can increase the chances of having respiratory problems (The Chemistry of Air Pollution). Lastly, O3, another main primary pollutant, has the physical property of being a colorless gas (The Chemistry of Air Pollution). An example of another physical property of ozone would be smell. According to SEPA, The Chemistry of Air Pollution notes, that a person can smell O3 if one leaves freshly washed laundry out on a hot day or after a heavy thunder storm. This part of air pollution relates to chemistry through the physical properties of chemical compounds, such as knowing the color, the smell, the state of matter, and the change in temperature as well as the chemical
There are six common pollutants in the air, which include ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and lead. These pollutants led to many different symptoms across the United States. Ozone pollution leads to impaired respiratory system. Particulate matter affects respiratory systems, causes cancer, and premature death. Carbon monoxide affects the bloodstream and reduces oxygen to the body’s organs. Nitrogen oxide causes influenza. Sulfur dioxide effects respiratory illness and pulmonary defenses. Lead causes effects in the liver,
There are many kinds of air pollution. The ones I want to talk about are the ozone, acid rain, carbon monoxide and toxic air contaminants. Ozone is formed when hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide react in sunlight. Therefore, ozone is at its peak during hot summer days. Exposure to high levels of ozone can have serious consequences on your health. It can cause respiratory disease, loss of pulmonary elasticity, and premature aging of our lungs. Next, is acid rain, which occurs in the atmosphere in the form of sulfur and nitrogen oxide. These pollutants can have serious damaging affects on aquatic, forest and wildlife ecosystems, as well as deterioration of buildings. Carbon monoxide is another form of pollution. It reduces the blood?s ability to carry oxygen. If a human is exposed to higher levels, it can cause chest pains, angina attacks or even death.
Air pollution threatens many cities worldwide, and unfortunately, Fresno is one of those heavily affected cities. According to the Fresno Metro Ministry, the air pollution in San Joaquin Valley comes from the two main sources: ozone and particulate matter. Ozone is a gas that consists of three oxygen atoms that are bonded together into a molecule, and it is referred to as smog if it is closer in the earth’s surface. Particulate matter refers generically to a mixture of minute airborne solid particles and liquid droplets that are present in the air (as cited in Fresno Metro Ministry, n.d.).
Air pollution is caused by many things such as car fumes, burning of fossil fuels,
The Environmental Protection Agency classified at least different types of air pollutants; ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides. Ground-level ozone also known as particulate matter and nitrogen oxide are identical and is created by chemical reactions with nitrogen and other organic compounds. These compounds come from motor vehicles, gasoline, and other industrial facilities. Exposure to ground-level ozone can cause asthma, bronchitis, and even emphysema (Environmental Protection Agency). Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that comes from combustion sources such as stoves and heaters. Effects of exposure to carbon monoxide also known as CO, can reduce oxygen delivery to any of the body’s organs especia...
Air pollution results from high concentrations of chemicals and particulate matter that pose a threat to human health, ecosystems, and manmade materials. Pollutants can be solid particles, liquids, or gases and are produced by human sources along with natural sources. Pollution from natural sources tend to become diluted and dispersed without causing major harm, whereas pollutants resulting from human sources tend to be more localized and a more serious problem. Scientists categorize air contaminants into two main categories: primary pollutants that directly enter the atmosphere and secondary pollutants formed between primary air pollutants and natural air components. Recent studies have been done in an effort to identify “the contributions of secondary pollutants formed by gas phase or surface chemistry to the levels and types of air pollutants that accumulate indoors (S).” It has been hypothesized that indoor air quality is two to five times worse than outdoor pollution due to the fact that buildings are enclosed, and therefore retain the particles inside with less chance to di...
Air pollution is nothing new. Ever since the discovery of fire, less-than-desirable substances have been vented into the air. One of the first air-pollution regulations dates back to the fourteenth century, when King Edward I banned the burning of sea coal in lime kilns. U.S. air-pollution regulations have their roots in British Common Law. But regardless of those efforts, air pollution continues to be a serious local and world-wide problem. Pollution is the pressure within the air of one or more substances that are harmful to human health, welfare, animal or plant life, or property. In the past with air pollution we included mainly the outdoor pollutants, although in recent years this is not the case. Today we separate pollutants in to two categories. Primary pollutants, because they come directly from various sources, and secondary which are by-products of chemical interactions of the primary pollutants within the atmosphere.
Until 10 years ago, air pollution was thought to be just an urban or local problem until it was discovered that the pollutants could move across continents and oceans. Air pollution is the fundamental factor that causes greenhouse gases, hence climate change and global warming. Air pollutants are the waste products generated from industrial and other processes. They usually come in gases, though aerosols (particles suspended in air, emitted as or formed by transformatio...
In today’s world, air pollution is very important issue to think because it effects to environment and humans health. Environmentally, baleful air pollutants can compose acid rain. It can also compose dangerous ground level ozone. That would destroy trees, crops, animals, and water. This could be relating to humans health because dangerous chemicals such as vinyl chloride in the air that causes cancer, birth defects, and long term injury to the lungs. Also, breathing with these chemicals can even cause death. Air pollution can occur from both natural and human activities. For example, the industrial age, people used fossil fuels to transport. So they were burning lots of fossil fuels that is a major cause of pollution. While burning fossil fuels, there are dangerous pollutants coming out such as carbon dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbons and particulates. Especially, carbon dioxide is very harmful chemical to effect on environment because it contributes acid rain and change the climate that effects to the environment. The emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere occurs while fossil fuel is burning. If there is lots of carbon dioxide released from fossil fuel then acid rain would occur more. Acid rain contributes to the damage of trees and many other forest soils. In addition, acid rain sculptures that is part of human nation’s cultural heritage. Another environmental effect of carbon dioxide on air pollution is climate change. Over the last 100 years, the earth’s surface temperature has risen, according to the National oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Many scientists trust carbon dioxide pollution is the primary culprit because they have evidence that shows ocean water levels have increase because of carb...
Air pollution is a type of pollution that can severely damage our environment as well as the earth’s atmosphere. Air pollution occurs all the time when the air contains many substances ...
The polluted air we breathe everyday can cause serious health problems to us or even death. The short term effects of breathing polluted air are headaches, nausea, and allergic reactions. Short term effects can also aggravate the medical conditions of individuals with asthma and emphysema. The long term effects, which are more serious and deadly are, lung cancer, chronic respiratory disease, heart disease, and damage to the brain, nerves, liver, and kidneys. Air pollution also has a bad effect on women who are pregnant. Research has shown that women who come in contact with high levels of pollution, are more likely to have a premature or early baby (David Anderson). Now, women who protect themselves more from all the pollution are more likely to have a healthier baby. Another research also shows that air pollution kills about 3.3 million people every year. The study also proves that if we continue to pollute our air the way we 're doing it right now, the yearly deaths will double to 6.6 million people in 2050 (David Anderson). About 6 percent of global deaths each year are caused by air pollution. Scientists also say that air pollution kills more than both HIV and malaria each year, which I find pretty
They also proceed to say that household combustion devices, motor vehicles, industrial facilities and forest fires have been found to be the common sources of air pollution with major pollutants being the particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Also some scholars have defined air pollution as the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter and biological materials which can cause damages to humans and other living organisms and also often cause lots of damages to the entire natural environment .It can also be defined as the presence in the outdoor and indoor atmosphere of one or more gaseous or particulate contaminants in quantities, characteristics and of duration such as to be injurious to human, plant or animal life or to property, or which unreasonably interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property (
One of the world’s biggest problems is air pollution even though many people don’t even give the right attention and many people don’t even know that they are polluting air. Scientific search shows that toxic fumes are the primary cause of skin aging in polluted cities. Air pollution is precipitately ageing the faces of citizens opening up wrinkles and age spots. This is nothing compared to effects that air pollution has in our community. Fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas are the remains of living things from millions of years ago. Researches show that “before the world develop to industrialised by burning fossil fuels the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere was about 0.028%. Whereas now the carbon dioxide released by burning of fossil fuels
Air Pollution is when a poisonous or a harmful substance is released in the air. There are many form of pollution but air is one of them, it only occurs when dust, harmful gases or smoke enters into the atmosphere and makes it hard for species like plants, animals and humans to live in a difficult situation because of the dirty air.Air Pollution is classified in two sections, invisible air pollution and visible air pollution.. Hence any substance that makes it difficult for the living things that need the atmosphere is air pollution.Humans have been undergoing air pollution ever since the industrial revolution.In order to understand the causes of Air pollution, it is divided into divisions. Primary air pollutants and secondary air pollutants:
Air pollution is phenomenon which air is contaminated by some substances ( Besiness dictionary, ? ) including particulates and biological molecules. It may cause not only many diseases, allergies or even death but also can affect badly on other living organisms like animals, food crops, and may damage the environment ( Wikipedia, ? ).