Every person is affected by his environment and in turn has an effect on the environment.
Therefore, to obtain an accurate picture of the factors at work, the total environment must
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ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
Air Pollution & Their Sources
land.
Clean air is made up of naturally occurring chemicals. Dry air contains 78% Nitrogen and
21% Oxygen and remaining 1% consists of argon, carbon dioxide, helium and other trace
gases.
Air, of course, also contains water vapor and this may make up as much as 4% of the
for example, carbon dioxide become dangerous when their concentrations become
daily lives. Sources include industry, vehicles, agriculture, power generation (coal, oil or
Organic pollution includes smoke and dust from vegetation fires, pollen and fungi
from plants, live organisms including bacteria and volatile substances emitted by trees
and flowers.
Human Air Pollution
Human air pollution can also be divided into two groups according to the character of
emission;
Controlled emission which takes place according to well established rules, under
the supervision of trained staff.
Accidental emission which occurs, for example, during industrial accidents and oil
spills.
So we can define air pollution in two ways;
Primary pollution harmful substances which are emitted directly into the
atmosphere.
Secondary pollution substances which become harmful once in the air or harmful
substances which form as a result of chemical reactions in the atmosphere.
The most important forms of reactive nitrogen in the air are nitrogen monoxide (NO) and
gas (N2).
Nitrogen oxides react with water to form nitric acid (HNO 3), which is not only a major
contributor to acid rain but is also the main way in which nitrogen oxides are removed
from the air, either by dry deposition of the acid directly or by removal in rain.
attached garage.
Nationwide, two-thirds of the carbon monoxide emissions come from transportation
sources.
Particulate matter (PM) is the general term used for a mixture of solid particles and liquid
droplets found in the air. Some particles are large or dark enough to be seen as soot or
smoke. Others are so small they can be detected only with an electron microscope.
These particles, which come in a wide range of sizes (fine particles are less than 2.5
micrometers in diameter and coarser-size particles are larger than 2.5 micrometers),
originate from many different stationary and mobile sources as well as from natural
sources
Fine particles (PM2.5) result from fuel combustion from motor vehicles, power generation,
and industrial facilities, as well as from residential fireplaces and wood stoves.
Coarse particles (PM-10) are generally emitted from sources, such as vehicle travelling
on unpaved roads, materials handling, and crushing and grinding operations, as well as
windblown dust.
Some particles are emitted directly from their sources, such as smokestacks and cars.
In other cases, gases such as sulfur dioxide and SO2, NOX, and VOC interact with each
other compounds in the air to form fine particles. Their chemical and physical
volcanic ash;
On the other hand man-made sources of particulate matter come from industrial societies,
automobiles and more importantly industries.
Sulfur dioxide belongs to a family of gases called sulfur oxides (SO X). SO2 is a colorless,
non-flammable gas that is odorless at low concentrations, but at high concentrations can
containing sulfur.
Natural sources of SO2 include volcanoes and hot gases.
LEAD (PB)
Lead is a cumulative poison to the central nervous system and is particularly damaging to
tank lining, lead based paints, and the manufacturing of batteries etc.
Atmospheric concentration of lead derived significantly from gasoline additives used
before unleaded gasoline began to be manufactured.
VOCs are organic chemicals that, when released into the atmosphere, precipitate in
photochemical reactions.
While VOCs are nearly invisible, they often have a noticeable odor and turn into
industrial processes.
VOCs include chemicals such as benzenes, toluene, and methyl chloroform.
OZONE (O3)
Ozone (O3) is a gas that forms when three atoms of oxygen are combined.
O3 is a highly unstable gas that smell sweet.
In the upper atmosphere, ozone is found naturally and protects the earth from harmful
ultraviolet radiation. But ground level ozone is a key ingredient in forming urban smog
Since O3 is in turn dissociated by UV rays, a net balance is kept with continual formation
and destruction of the oxygen molecules. In the upper atmosphere this good ozone
human health.
Ground level ozone is caused by the releases of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and
nitrogen dioxide (NO2) into the air. When these chemicals are released into the air, they
react with sunlight and heat to create ozone. Consequently, as temperature rise, ozone
The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the earth experiences because certain
gases in the atmosphere (water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, for
example) trap energy from the sun. Without these gases, heat would escape back into the
space and earths average temperature would be about 60 F colder. Because of how they
The greenhouse effect is important. Without the greenhouse effect, the earth would not be
warm enough for humans to live. But if the greenhouse effect becomes stronger, it could
make the earth warmer than usual. Even a small extra warming may cause problems for
humans, plants, and animals.
ACID RAIN
Acid rain is a serious environmental problem that affects large parts of the world.
Acid rain is a broad term used to describe several ways that acid fall out of the
atmosphere. A more precise term is acid deposition, which has two parts; wet and dry.
Wet deposition refers to acidic rain, fog, and snow.
Dry deposition refers to acidic gases and particles.
About half of the acidity in the atmosphere falls back to earth through dry deposition. The
wind blows these acidic particles and gases onto buildings, cars, homes, and trees. Dry
deposited gases and particles can also be washed from trees and other surfaces by
rainstorms. When that happens, the runoff water adds those acids to the acid rain, making
acidic it is.
Pure water has a pH OF 7.0. Normal rain is slightly acidic because carbon monoxide
OZONE DEPLETION
solvents. The discussion below focuses on CFCs, but is relevant to all ODS.
Although CFCs are heavier than air, they are eventually carried into the stratosphere in a
WATER POLLUTION
Comprising over 70% of the earths surface, water is undoubtedly the most precious
prosper.
Although we as human recognize this fact, we disregard it by polluting our rivers, lakes,
and ocean. Subsequently, we are slowly but surely harming our planet to the point where