air pollution



Air is the ocean we breathe. Air supplies us with oxygen which is essential for our bodies to live. Air is 99.9% nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor and inert gases. Human activities can release substances into the air, some of which can cause problems for humans, plants, and animals. There are several main types of pollution include smog,acid rain, the greenhouse effect, and "holes" in the ozone layer. Each of these problems has serious implications for our health and well-being as well as for the whole environment.
One type of air pollution is the release of particles into the air from burning fuel for energy. Diesel smoke is a good example of this particulate matter . The particles are very small pieces of matter measuring about 2.5 microns or about .0001 inches. This type of pollution is sometimes referred to as "black carbon" pollution. The exhaust from burning fuels in automobiles, homes, and industries is a major source of pollution in the air. Some authorities believe that even the burning of wood and charcoal in fireplaces and barbecues can release significant quantities of pollution into the air.
Another type of pollution is the release of noxious gases, such as sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and chemical vapors. These can take part in further chemical reactions once they are in the atmosphere, forming smog and acid rain.
Indoor Pollution

Pollution also needs to be considered inside our homes, offices, and schools. Some of these pollutants can be created by indoor activities such as smoking and cooking. Some people spend about 80-90% of their time inside buildings, and so our exposure to harmful indoor pollutants can be serious. It is therefore important to consider both indoor and outdoor air pollution. Most people are aware that outdoor air pollution can damage their health but may not know that indoor air pollution can also have significant effects. Scientists study human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor air levels of many pollutants may be 2-5 times, and occasionally more than 100 times, higher than outdoor levels.
These levels of indoor air pollutants are of particular concern because it is estimated that most people, including children, spend as much as 90% of their time indoors.
Over the past several decades, our exposure to indoor air pollutants is believed to have increased due to a variety of factors, including the construction of more tightly sealed buildings, reduced ventilation rates to save energy, the use of synthetic building materials and furnishings, and the use of chemically formulated personal care products, pesticides, and household cleaners.
In recent years, comparative risk studies that in close cooperation with a effort to a better understand indoor air pollution and to reduce people's exposure
to air pollutants in homes, schools, and other environments where children.
Environmental Tobacco Smoke
(Secondhand Smoke)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health reports that 43 percent of children, two months through 11 years of age, live in a home with at least one smoker. Children who live with smokers involuntarily inhale many pollutants in smoke. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), also known as secondhand smoke, is a complex mixture of more than 4,000 chemicals, including carbon monoxide , nicotine, tars, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide. Several of these chemicals are known human carcinogens or respiratory irritants.
Children exposed to ETS tend to have more bronchitis, pneumonia, respiratory infections, otitis media (fluid in the middle ear), and asthma symptoms. The frequency of infection depends directly on the amount of smoke in the home. Children who live with two smoking parents have more respiratory infections than children who live with one smoking parent. The lowest rates of respiratory infections and asthma are found in children of parents who do not smoke at all. Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with an increased incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
They estimates that between 150,000 and 300,000 cases of lung infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, that occur annually in infants and young children up to 18 months of age may be attributed to exposure to ETS. Of these, 7,500 to 15,000 will result in hospitalization. ETS exposure aggravates the condition of between 200,000 and 1,000,000 asthmatic children. EPA has found that ETS increases fluid in the middle ear, a sign of chronic middle ear disease, the most common cause of hospitalization for surgery in children.
The CDC estimates that children exposed to tobacco smoke in their homes have 18 million more days of restricted activity, 10 million more days of bed confinement, and miss 7 million more school days annually than other children, primarily due to acute and chronic respiratory conditions.
Smog

Relax, breath deeply, and let's talk about the air you just breathed in.
Smog is a nasty mixture of chemicals in the air that can harm human health. As proof, just look how emergency room admissions increase whenever there's a high smog period. For some people, smog causes headaches, burning eyes, coughing, and shortness of breath. Those most at risk are young children, the elderly, and people with asthma and respiratory illnesses. If you suffer from these ailments, stay indoors during periods of high air pollution. Even healthy adults can have trouble breathing when smog levels are high. During smog advisories avoid taking part in strenuous outdoor activities, especially near high traffic areas.
Smog levels are often highest during hot, sunny summer days. Levels are particularly high in cities that lie within the Quebec Windsor corridor, lower New Brunswick and the Lower Fraser Valley near Vancouver. While smog is a problem for urban dwellers, it can also be carried by the wind into rural areas, producing levels as high as, or higher than, those found in cities.
The major sources of smog are motor vehicles, coal fired power plants, and industrial emissions. You can help make things better.
Did you know?
• In Ontario, Canada 15 percent of all infant respiratory admissions to hospitals in the summer are related to high levels of air pollution. Worse yet, in the past decade, childhood asthma rate have increased by 60%.
• The Ministry of the Environment has estimated that smog causes 1,800 premature deaths each year in Ontario.
• Air pollution, much of it caused by smog, adds an extra $1 billion each year to Canada's health costs, according to federal estimates.
• More than 13 million cars now traverse Canada's roads — one for every two Canadians, one of the highest ratios of car ownership in the world. Each of these cars travels, on average, more than 16,000 km per year, a total of some 200 billion kilometers, or more than 1,000 times the distance between the Earth and the sun.
• According to the Canadian Automobile Association, it costs $7,412 to own and operate a motor vehicle. Compare this to $912 for a yearlong transit pass in Toronto or $300 to own and operate a bicycle. A single bus can take up to 40 vehicles off the road, save as much as 70,000 liters of fuel and keep 9 tones of air pollutants per year out of the air.
More Information about Smog
Smog is a serious threat to human health, but there are many ways to reduce this threat. Progress has been made on reducing many smog pollutants through vehicle technology improvements, but the smog problem has not been solved. Gains made through these improvements are lost as more and more cars crowd the roads. The travel choices we make every day can lead to improvements in air quality, enhance our sense of well-being and enrich our communities. Healthy living involves being active. Taking transit, walking, cycling, running and inline skating are action oriented activities that provide pleasant alternatives to our often sedentary lifestyles.
The benefits of clean air don't stop with human health. With more people reducing their car use, less money will be spent on the construction and maintenance of roads. And when we do drive, there will be less congestion, reduced stress and hopefully fewer incidents of "road rage". Even our health care system will be less strained as fewer people visit their doctors or go to hospitals. I believe that's a future people will work towards. We hope you'll prove us right.
In the summer, listen to the radio for smog advisory warnings. When smog levels are high, avoid exercising outside. If you have chronic respiratory problems, asthma or heart disease, stay indoors at these times, and always make sure that you take your medication as prescribed by your doctor. I also urge you to take action to reduce smog and make your air, our air, safer to breathe. Please follow the advice and take action today to combat smog. It's our greatest hope for a cleaner and healthier tomorrow.
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Nitric Oxide (NO)

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is one of a number of important oxides of nitrogen present in the atmosphere. Nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (together termed NOx) are the most abundant man-made oxides of nitrogen in urban areas; these are formed in all high temperature combustion processes, although nitric oxide predominates. Nitric oxide is not generally considered to be harmful to health at the concentration found in the ambient atmosphere.
Approximately 45% of all oxide of nitrogen emission originates from motor vehicles, with most of the remainder arising from power stations and other industrial sources. Since power station and industrial emissions are usually from elevated sources, motor vehicles represent by far the lowest source of low-level nitrogen dioxide emission and therefore make the largest contribution (about 75% or more) to long term ground level concentrations in urban areas.
The highest NOx levels in cities are observed at curbside locations. However, since NO2 is formed from primary emissions of NO by time dependent oxidation processes in the atmosphere, the relative decline in NO2 concentration away from the curbside is slower than for NO.
Several surveys using diffusion tube samplers for NO2 have been undertaken to determine the distribution of background concentrations of NO2 in cities. These have shown that, in general, NO concentrations are greatest in central urban areas. However, this cannot be assumed to be the case: for instance, a recent study in Sheffield identified an industrial area, close to the M1 motor way, with higher NO2 concentrations than the city center.
Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)

Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) is formed by the oxidation of sulphur impurities in fuels during combustion processes. A very high proportion (approximately 85%) of SO2 emissions originates from power stations and industrial sources. As the use of coal for domestic heating has decreased, SO2 emissions and atmospheric concentrations in urban areas have decreased considerably over the last 20-30 years.

Though virtually no SO2 is emitted from petrol engine vehicles, it is emitted from diesels and, as the use of these has increased, curbside concentrations of this pollutant are now observed to be higher than at urban background locations.

Geographically, SO2 concentrations the are highest in urban areas where there is still significant use of coal for domestic heating, such as mining region. Studies have indicated that the highest SO2 concentrations in cities usually occur in the central areas of North America.
Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Carbon Monoxide is a tasteless, odorless, and colorless gas. Carbon Monoxide is created by the incomplete combustion of any carbon-containing fuel, including gasoline and diesel vehicles. It is poisonous to the environment which includes any living organism; plants, animals and humans. CO enters the bloodstream through the lungs and reduces oxygen delivery to the body, organs and tissues. The gas combines with the hemoglobin in our blood, impairing the flow of oxygen to our brain and other parts of the body.
The health threat from carbon monoxide is most serious for those who suffer from cardiovascular disease. At higher levels of exposure, healthy individuals are also affected.
The amount of CO released into the air depends on the emission rate for individual vehicles and the vehicles speed, being highest at very low speeds (traffic).
Since CO is a primary pollutant, its ambient concentrations closely follow emissions. In urban areas, concentrations are therefore highest at the curbside and decrease rapidly with increasing distance from the road. No detailed investigations of the spatial distribution of CO in UK urban areas have been undertaken. However, since traffic is by far the most important source of CO, its spatial distribution will follow that of traffic: this will generally result in the highest level being observed in the city centre

questions

What is air pollution?
What is the effect of air pollution?
What is the cause of air pollution?




ANSWER
Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages the natural environment, into the atmosphere.

Air pollution will effect our health.

Air pollution come from human activity such as open burning and others.