ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

METW1313
TASK 2: IMPACTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ISSUES
(Proceeding Book titled “AIR POLLUTION: A REVIEW”)

BY:
ANNUR SARA BINTI HISHAM MET211037

SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL AND ENERGY ENGINEERING

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA
 Air Pollution: A Review

Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the
atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage
to the climate or to materials. There are many different types of air pollutants such as gases,
particulates and biological molecules. Air pollution can cause diseases, allergies and even
death to humans; it can also cause harm to other living organism for instance animals and
food crops and may damage the natural environment or built environment. air pollution can
be caused by both human activities and natural phenomena.

Air pollution is a significant risk factor for a number of pollution-related diseases,

including respiratory infections, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD) and lung cancer, increased risk for psychiatric disorder such as depression and
detrimental health (WHO, 2014). The human health effects of poor air quality are far
reaching but principally affect the body’s respiratory system and the cardiovascular system.
Individual reactions to air pollutants depend on the type of pollutant a person is exposed to,
the degree of exposure and individual’s health status and genetics (Vallero, 2007). Polluted
air effect to 4.21 million deaths annually, making it one of the top contributors to human
death. Overall, air pollution causes the death of 7 million people worldwide each year or a
global mean loss of life expectancy of 2.9 years (Reed, 2016; WHO, 2019). Blacksmith
Institute World’s Worst Polluted Places (2008) reported that indoor air pollution and poor air
quality are listed as two world’s worst toxic pollution problems. The scope of the air
pollution is enormous: 90% of the world population breathes dirty are to some degree. For
economic case, air pollution led to productivity losses and degraded quality of life caused by
air pollution. The market impacts somehow ruined by this pollution because of labour
productivity losses due to absences from work for illness and agricultural yield losses linked
to sector of production, GDP and welfare estimated to cost the world economy $5 trilling per
year (McCauley, 2016). A decrease crop yields will lead to direct impact on agricultural
output then this affects the quality of life of humans. Next, technologies and strategies to
reduce air pollution estimated to cost the world economy trillion dollar per year according to
OECD Policy Highlights Report (2016). Globally, outdoor air pollution is a substantial
environmental and health risk factor, so called a silent killer by World Health Organization
(WHO). Polluted air distracts humans by causing bad odour and haze issues.

The most important natural sources of air pollution are from:

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 1. Dust from natural sources, usually large areas of land with little vegetation or no
vegetation (Goldstein et al., 2009).
2. Methane, emitted by the digestion of food by animals (e.g., cattle, Vallero, 2007).
3. Radon gas produced by radioactive decay in the crust of the Earth. Radium decay
produces radon, a radioactive noble gas that is colourless and odourless and is found
in nature. It is regarded as a health risk. Natural radon gas can build up in structures,
especially in small spaces like the basement, and is the second-leading contributor to
lung cancer after cigarette smoking (Goldstein et al., 2009).
4. Wildfire smoke and carbon monoxide. Smoke from uncontrolled biomass combustion
can account for nearly 75% of all air pollution by concentration when there are active
wildfires (Fischetti, 2014).
5. Vegetation, in some regions, emits environmentally significant amounts of Volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) on warmer days. These VOCs react with primary
anthropogenic pollutants—produce a seasonal haze of secondary pollutants. Examples
of vegetation that can produce a lot of VOCs include black gum, poplar, oak, and
willow. Compared to low-impact tree species, these species' VOC production raises
ozone levels by up to eight times (Goldstein et al., 2009; Fischetti, 2014).
6. Volcanic activity, which produces sulphur, chlorine, and ash particulates (Goldstein
et al., 2009).

The list of persistent organic pollutants contains 12 different substances. Two of them,
dioxins and furans, are produced on purpose when organic materials, like plastics burned in
the open, are burned. These substances can alter human genes and disrupt the endocrine
system. A list of air pollution emission factors for numerous industrial sources has been
published by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Similar compilations have been
released by the European Environment Agency as well as the United Kingdom, Australia,
Canada, and many other nations (EEA, 2019). Air pollution are also coming from exposure
of various factors in our environment. For example, one may want to calculate the exposure
to a hazardous air pollutant for a geographic area, which includes the various
microenvironments and age groups. The exposure to an air pollutant must integrate the
concentrations of the air pollutant with respect to the time spent in each setting and the
respective inhalation rates for each subgroup for each specific time that the subgroup is in the
setting and engaged in particular activities (playing, cooking, reading, working, spending
time in traffic, etc.). The daily exposure, then, needs to reflect the time spent in each micro-

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environmental setting and the type of activities in these settings. For Indoor Air Quality, a
lack of ventilation indoors concentrates air pollution where people often spend the majority
of their time. Days after being dry cleaned, clothing continues to emit tetrachloroethylene or
other dry-cleaning fluids. In some areas of the Earth, radon gas, a carcinogen, escapes and
becomes trapped inside buildings. Even improperly adjusted pilot lights have the potential to
cause chronic carbon monoxide poisoning. The use of air fresheners, incense, and other
scented items causes intentional air pollution. In the form of gases and airborne particulates,
biological sources of air pollution can also be found indoors.

Scope and depth of regulations and practices identified relevant to achieving them

Air pollution is better described as a collection of complex interconnected issues where

each requiring various control methods. Regulations that have been made to achieve zero-
emission pollutant air are generally divided by two types; first class of standards which to set
maximum atmospheric concentrations for specific pollutants and second class of standard
take the form of a scale with various threshold which is used to communicate to the public
about the relative risk of outdoor activity. The Clean Air Act is the main level Act (first class
of standard). The objectives of CAA were to protect and enhance the quality of national air
resources and also to protect public health and welfare while fostering a beneficial productive
capacity (CAA,1956). CCA also set a goal which is to set and achieve National Ambient Air
Quality Standards (NAAQS) in every state by 1975. In Clean Air Act 1993, stated in Part IV,
section 30 – Control of Certain Forms of Air Pollution – introduced regulation about motor
fuels. The purpose of this section in reducing air pollution, the Secretary of State may by
regulations (a) impose requirement as to the composition and contents of any fuel of a kind
used in motor vehicles; and (b) where such requirements are in force, prevent or restrict the
production, treatment, distribution, import, sale or use of any fuel which in any respect fails
to comply with the requirements, and which is for use In the United Kingdom. Besides that,
E.U. Air Quality Directive also included in first class of standards. Regulations are enacted
by environmental agencies with the goal of achieving these target levels. The second class
(like the North American Air Quality Index) communicates to the general public the relative
risk of outdoor activity in the form of a scale with various thresholds. The scale might or
might not be able to differentiate between various pollutants.

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 Many practices have been made by all over the world to combat air pollution. Some
practical alternatives to the principal causes of air pollution are even when factoring in areas
with frequent ship calls and heavy freeway and city traffic, such as Los Angeles, areas
downwind (over 20 miles) of major airports more than double total particulate emissions in
the air (Lockwood, 2014). According to a NASA-led 2017 study, aviation biofuel mixed in
with jet fuel at a 50/50 ratio can reduce jet-derived cruise altitude particulate emissions by
50–70% (however, this should imply ground-level benefits to urban air pollution as well)
(Elliot, 2017). Other than that, cleaner fuels, such as natural gas, can be used for ship
propulsion and idling. (Ideally, a renewable source, but this is still not feasible right now).
Next, ground source heat pumps and seasonal thermal energy storage can be used to replace
fossil fuel combustion for space heating. Most of motor-vehicles that driven by fossils fuels
are recommended to alternate to electric vehicles which helpful to lower the air pollution
level. Plus, more people can start to use clean public transit such as electric trains to works or
travelling. Reduce travelling by vehicles also can be an effort to minimize air pollution. A
study was applied in Stockholm where they reduced vehicles traffic in the central city by
taxing, the pollution of nitrogen dioxide and asthma attack were declined sufficiently. In poor
countries where slash and burn are common, biodigesters can be used to turn a useless
commodity into a source of income. The plants can be collected and sold to a central
authority, which will decompose it in a large modern biodigester, generating much-needed
energy. Last but not least, in order to eliminate air pollution is induced humidity and
ventilation both can greatly dampen air pollution in enclosed spaces was found to be
relatively high inside subway lines due to braking and friction, and relatively less ironically
inside transit buses than lower sitting passenger automobiles or subways.

An example of Air Quality Policies in Malaysia

Air Quality Policies in Malaysia is described based on research that UNEP conducted in
2015, in response to resolution 7 of the UNEA. The ambient air quality measurement in
Malaysia is described in terms of Air Pollutant Index (API) which is comparable to the
corresponding air quality standards recommended by the World Health Organisation
(Department of Environment 2013) (Mustafa, M. & Rusli, M. H., 2016). Current status of air
quality in Malaysia is the air quality itself in above-average but Malaysia has other serious
issue in this which is transboundary haze. Policies that are currently been introduced is
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in which using WHO Interim Target for
all the critical pollutants. Besides, Malaysia also plans a National Policy on the Environment

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– Malaysia Environmental Strategic Plan 2011 – 2020 states a requirement to maintain good
quality. Industries that have the potential to impact air quality such as power stations,
industrial fuel burning, industrial production processes (electronics, rubber and palm oil
processing, smelting, petroleum production and refining) have to reduce the emission by
using Emission Regulations for Industries. This regulation sets emission limits of Stack Gas
Emission Standards, requirement that industrial projects use best available techniques and
also Clean Air Regulations require industries to conduct emission inventories. Legal
framework from Environmental Quality Regulation (2003) declared to reduce haze from
domestic sources for instance open burning of agricultural (or of waste and other) by
monitoring network used to identify local burning and haze and enforcement of regulations.
Last but not least, Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act (1981) prohibits the use of
pollution fuels and substances and regulates appliances that give rise to air pollution.

With an appropriate mitigation plan, it is believed we could save our earth and human
life. As a preventive measure to solve this issue, enhance more educational campaigns,
cooperative works between affected haze pollution countries and the proper contact clauses in
between of authorities and concession licensees (Nichol,1997; Yusof. K., 2017). Moreover,
assessing ambient air quality and the levels of air pollution where this is to indicate then
improve the urban areas with a downward trends of pollution levels above the standards.
Governments need to change subsidies from fossil fuels to renewable energy and green
energy resources to produce a cleaner and healthy environment (Targhizadeh-Hesary, F. et al.
2020). Control of air pollution for stationary, mobile, area and other pollution sources to
improve air quality. Inventory of mobile source emission should be controlled such as
transportation of raw materials required will be carried out during non-peak hours. While in
construction site, in order to minimize dust emissions due to trucks carrying cement, gravel,
sand to site, ready mix concrete carried in enclosed container will be used which is a better
option as compared to on site batch mixing. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
formulate a method for Micro-scale air quality assessment where this analysis intent to
optimize the existing pollutant from transportation to mitigate measures for local air quality.

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