Air+Pollution

Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials into the atmosphere that cause harm or discomfort to humans, other living organisms, the natural environment or built environment. 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. Indoor air pollution and urban air quality are listed as two of the world's worst pollution problems in the 2008 Blacksmith Institute World's Worst Polluted Places report.

Air pollution occurs in many forms but can generally be thought of as gaseous and particulate contaminants that are present in the earth's atmosphere. ** Gaseous pollutants **include sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), ozone (O 3 ), carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOC), hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), hydrogen fluoride (HF), and various gaseous forms of metals. These pollutants are emitted from large stationary sources such as fossil fuel fired power plants, smelters, industrial boilers, petroleum refineries, and manufacturing facilities as well as from area and mobile sources. They are corrosive to various materials which causes damage to cultural resources and can cause injury to plants and animals, aggravate respiratory diseases, and reduce visibility.

There are two different types of air pollution: Indoor and Outdoor Indoor: There are many sources of indoor air pollution. Tobacco smoke, cooking and heating appliances, vapors from building materials, paints, furniture, etc. can cause pollution inside buildings. //Radon// is a natural radioactive gas released from the earth and can be found concentrated in basements in some parts of the United States. Additional information about the radon problem is available from the USGS and the Minnesota Radon Project. Pollution exposure at home and work is often greater than outdoors. The California Air Resources Board estimates that indoor air pollutant levels are 25-62% greater than outside levels and can pose serious health problems.




 * Facts about Air Pollution**

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 * According to a study, living in a major city, places people at a higher risk than living in the radioactive zone in Chernobyl.
 * We breathe about 2 gallons of air every minute. Therefore, we need to worry about the quality of air we breathe, because breathing polluted air can take off 1-2 years off the typical human life-span.
 * According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 2 million premature deaths are caused each year due to air pollution in cities across the world.
 * A recent study has revealed that exposure to fine particle matter in polluted air increases the risk of hospitalization due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Recently, 30 million adults and children in the US have been diagnosed with asthma.
 * Vehicle emissions contribute up to 45% of carbon monoxide emissions in the US and about 95% in larger cities.
 * According to a German study, people who breathe in the fumes of heavy traffic regularly have higher chances of getting hardening of the arteries, which is associated with the risk of heart attack.
 * A Scottish study has shown that jogging with traffic around, results in reduced blood flow to the heart. This is particularly dangerous for people with stable heart disease, because it can trigger off cardiac arrhythmia or even a heart attack.
 * Kids tend to spend more time playing outside and breathing more polluted air, which affects their health more than the adults. According to a study conducted on eight-year-olds in Mexico City, being exposed for a long time to high levels of polluted air reduces lung function and growth in children.
 * A 20-year study conducted on the residents of Los Angeles, showed that the adverse effects of air pollution have been grossly underestimated. The researchers opine that chronic health problems due to particulate matter in the air may be double or even triple times greater than the estimates available currently.
 * When the air is polluted, it causes irritation of throat, lungs and eyes. Some of the common symptoms are: a burning sensation in eyes, tightness in chest, and coughing. It exacerbates respiratory conditions like emphysema and asthma, and reduces the body's capacity to fight off infections of the respiratory system. Also, people afflicted with heart disease, like angina, are usually very sensitive to air pollution. People who exercise outdoors are also susceptible to the symptoms of air pollution, because it involves deeper and faster breathing. Air pollution is harming the environment.

Other greenhouse gases include methane—which comes from such sources as swamps and gas emitted by livestock—and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were used in refrigerants and aerosol propellants until they were banned because of their deteriorating effect on Earth's ozone layer. Another pollutant associated with climate change is sulfur dioxide, a component of smog. Sulfur dioxide and closely related chemicals are known primarily as a cause of acid rain. But they also reflect light when released in the atmosphere, which keeps sunlight out and causes Earth to cool. Volcanic eruptions can spew massive amounts of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, sometimes causing cooling that lasts for years. In fact, volcanoes used to be the main source of atmospheric sulfur dioxide; today people are.

Air pollutants can be labeled as primary or secondary depending on the process of them being emitted into the atmosphere. Pollution can be in the form of beads, gas or solid particles. Nitrogen and sulfur oxides as well as carbon monoxide are some main producers of air pollution brought on by human actions. The more people driving and consuming fossil fuels, the more air pollution is being produced. Pollution is being output at a higher rate than ever before, but seems logical considering there are more cars on the roads than ever before. =Indoor & Outdoor= =Air Pollution= When people think about air pollution, they usually think about smog, acid rain, CFC's, and other forms of **outdoor**air pollution. But did you know that air pollution also can exist //inside// homes and other buildings? It can, and every year, the health of many people is affected by chemical substances present in the air within buildings. A great deal of **research** on pollution is being conducted at laboratories and universities. The goals of the research are to find //solutions// and to //educate// the public about the problem. Two places where this type of work is being done are [|LBNL] and the [|University of California, Berkeley]. Let's take a closer look at the various //types// of [|air pollution], the //effects// that they have on people, and what is being (or not being) done to correct the problem.