Air Pollution

MUN X SSA

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBB KENDRICK, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

WHAT IS AIR POLLUTION?
• Air pollution is a mix of
particles and gases that can
reach harmful concentrations
both outside and indoors. Its
effects range from higher
disease risks to rising global
temperatures

Five major pollutants that are used to measure the U.S Air
Quality Index (AQI):

ground-level ozone, particle pollution (or particulate matter),

carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.

Smog is a type of air pollution that

looks like smoky fog and makes it
difficult to see.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JASON LEE, REUTERS/CORBIS
 Stagnant Air + Sunlight + NOx / VOCs è Ozone (a secondary
Stratospheric ozone
depletion = lack of pollutant made from its primary pollutants)
protection from the Sun’s
UV radiation = higher risk Ozone + VOCs è Photochemical smog
and occurrence of skin
cancers and eye damage. (seen as a brown haze [pictured below] in densely populated,
warm cities)

Ground-level Ozone
Ozone enters sensitive plants’ leaves
through stomata and oxidizes (burns)
plant tissue during respiration.
© DANIEL STEIN / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
 Primary particles: emitted into the atmosphere
(can have biological origins.)

Secondary particles: formed in the atmosphere

by gas-to-particle conversion and chemical
reactions in the atmosphere.

Average global distribution of particulate matter (PM2.5)

concentrations (2001-2006).

Particle pollution

Particulate pollution =
solid or liquid particles
suspended in a gas

Photograph: David Holt

Carbon monoxide is a gas. High levels of carbon
monoxide are poisonous to humans and,
unfortunately, it cannot be detected by humans At very high concentrations of
as it has no taste or smell and cannot be seen. carbon monoxide, up to 40% of
the haemoglobin can be bound
to carbon monoxide. This level
will almost certainly kill humans.

Carbon Monoxide

There are natural sources of carbon monoxide.

The main sources of additional carbon monoxide are motor vehicle
exhaust and some industrial activities. Tobacco smoke is one of the
main indoor sources of carbon monoxide.
 Sulfur Dioxide
Sulfur dioxide is a gas. It is invisible and has a
nasty, sharp smell. It reacts easily with other
substances to form harmful compounds, such as
sulfuric acid, sulfurous acid and sulfate particles.

About 99% of the sulfur dioxide in

air comes from human sources.
Sulfur dioxide is also present in
motor vehicle emissions, as the
result of fuel combustion

Sulfur dioxide affects human

health when it is breathed in. It
irritates the nose, throat, and
airways to cause coughing,
News Headline: Factory Sulfur Dioxide Leaks into Air
wheezing, shortness of breath,
or a tight feeling around the
chest.
 Nitrogen Dioxide
Nitrogen dioxide is a nasty-
smelling gas. Some nitrogen
dioxide is formed naturally in the The main effect of breathing in
atmosphere by lightning and raised levels of nitrogen dioxide is
some is produced by plants, soil the increased likelihood of
and water. However, only about respiratory problems..
1% of the total amount of
nitrogen dioxide found in our
cities' air is formed this way.
xxxx

Other sources of nitrogen dioxide Nitrogen dioxide is a significant air

are petrol and metal refining, pollutant because it also contributes
electricity generation from coal- to the formation of photochemical
fired power stations, other smog, which can have significant
manufacturing industries and food impacts on human health.
processing.
5 Major Sources of Air Pollution
 1. Emissions From Industrial Plants
2. Combustion of Fossil Fuels
and Manufacturing Activities
Heavy duty trucks, shipping
vessels, trains, and airplanes
Industrial plants and are power-driven by diesel
factories releases high and gasoline engines .In the
amounts of organic process of combustion, it
compounds, particulate releases Nitrogen Oxides
matter, carbon monoxide (NOx), Carbon Monoxide
(CO), Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOCs), lead, and
particulate matter into the air.

PHOTOGRAPH BY KYLE JEFFERY PHOTOGRAPH BY KOJI SASAHARA, AP

 3. Farming and Household Chemicals

Dusting of crops, painting supplies, home

fumigation, household cleaning products,
fertilizer powder, insect/pets sprays, hair sprays,
and deodorant sprays release harmful
chemicals.

Photograph by B. Anthony Stewart

4. Natural Causes
Forest fires often begin naturally and can release huge
amounts of smoke and dust particles that float in the air.
A massive volcanic eruption has the potential of
discharging dust into the atmosphere to an extent of
obstructing sunlight from reaching the earth surface..
High amounts of gases are released from plant and
animal decaying
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY BIOLITE INC
5. Other Sources

The traditional practice of wood and charcoal burning is usually a

chief contributor to indoor air pollution in developing nations.

Burning charcoal, wood, and crop waste release Carbon Monoxide

(CO), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), and particulate matter into the
atmosphere. In some regions, waste is incinerated instead of being
land-filled or recycled and some are also a significant cause of air
pollution.

Any particle that gets picked up into the air or is formed from chemical reactions in the air can be an aerosol.
These particles can come from many sources, including car exhaust, burning fossil fuels, factories, wildfires, or
form from chemical reactions in the air. Aerosols can impact how the Sun’s light hits Earth. For example, some
aerosols reflect sunlight while others absorb sunlight.
Effects of Air Pollution on Human Health
Premature birth, autism, asthma, damaged brain Emphysema, chronic bronchitis and
development other respiratory tract illnesses

Emerging evidence of air pollution being

linked to degenerative brain diseases like
Alzheimer's

Cardiovascular health affected as arteries

harden, increasing the risk of stroke and heart
attack
MINNAMBALAM.COM
 Effects on Animals
Poor respiratory health = Shortened life
spans and decreasing biodiversity

Bioaccumulation = further disruption in

food chains and quality of life

Acid rain leading to decreased

endocrine function, organ damage
and increased vulnerability to disease

Lesser reproductive success =

species declining in number
Disrupted food chains

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Effect on the Environment
Acid Rain that offsets PH and reacts with
other substances, becoming detrimental
to life on Earth.

Photochemical smog responsible for

all kinds of respiratory disorders.
Global warming destroys temperature
sensitive habitats and disrupts life in
those regions

Aerosols of all kinds that depending on their

property can alter weather conditions as well
as having other effects or organisms.

Depletion of the Ozone layer = reduced

protection from the Sun = skin and eye
damage.
analysis of fine particulate matter
(PM2.5) in Saudi Arabia
1) Switch to greener energy
sources
2) Be responsible about how you
consume energy
3) Eco-friendly transport, mass
transport / carpooling
4) Build environmentally friendly
structures. Resource efficient
and conscious
5) Strict laws and regulations to
improve Industrial emission
standards
6) Raise awareness
 Green City Solution’s “City Trees”
Sänger and Wu’s vision is for a world in which people in cities can live healthily.
They aspire to create living conditions that allow all people around the world to
permanently have cleaner air to breathe.

“Bio-Tech Air Filter”

Using a vertical installation of
moss, the bench can absorb
as much pollution as 275 Each City Tree removes 240
trees in 1 percent of the metric tons of CO2 from the
space. atmosphere per year and 250
grams of particulate matter
per day.
Daan Roosegaarde’s Smog Free Tower

“largest smog vacuum cleaner in the world"

The dust removed

from 1,000 cubic
meters of air is
According to the designer, it processes 30,000 cubic compressed and
meters of air per hour – removing ultra-fine smog sealed within a
particles and pumping out clean air using no more resin cube, which
electricity than a water boiler. is used as an
embellishment for
a ring or a cufflink.
https://waqi.info/forecast/#/