Sources of Air Pollution and Effects of Air Pollution

Pollution is now a common place term, that our ears are attuned to. We hear about the
various forms of pollution and read about it through the mass media. Air pollution is one such
form that refers to the contamination of the air, irrespective of indoors or outside. A physical,
biological or chemical alteration to the air in the atmosphere can be termed as pollution. It
occurs when any harmful gases, dust, smoke enters into the atmosphere and makes it
difficult for plants, animals and humans to survive as the air becomes dirty.

Air pollution can further be classified into two sections- Visible air pollution and invisible
air pollution. Another way of looking at Air pollution could be any substance that holds the
potential to hinder the atmosphere or the well being of the living beings surviving in it. The
sustainment of all things living is due to a combination of gases that collectively form the
atmosphere; the imbalance caused by the increase or decrease of the percentage of these
gases can be harmful for survival.

Air pollution is the presence of abnormal concentration and abnormal constituents in air.
We know that Fresh air is needed for a healthy life. That is why people go out for morning
walks so that they can breathe as much fresh air as possible. But the quality of the air has
been deteriorating in urban areas. It is being polluted by smoke, harmful gasses, dust
articles and other matters.

The burning of petrol and diesel in running vehicles emits carbon monoxide, sulphur
dioxide and unburnt hydrocarbon particles. These pollutants are released in the air breathe.
They are very harmful for out health.

The burning of various fuels in factories and power plants emit carbon monoxide carbon
dioxide and other poisonous gases that are left off in the atmosphere. Yet without burning
fuel, the production of goods in industries is not possible. So the growth of industrial
production is at the cost of polluting air.

Various chemical industries such as those manufacturing acids, plastics, dyes and paint,
paper, pesticides, petrochemical emit hazardous fumes and gases such as sulphur dioxide,
nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and fluorocarbons.

Industrial dust also causes air pollution. Dust coming out from the cement kilns, lime
kilns, stone crushing and asbestos factories are the main causes of breathing problems and
lung diseases in our country.
 Smoking of cigarettes and bedis is very injurious to health. It causes heart diseases,
various respiratory problems and cancer. Tobacco smoke is a pollutant particularly in closed
spaces such as buses, trains, cinema halls and restaurants. Smoke emitted by a smoker but
inhaled by a non-smoker is known as secondary or they are in the vicinity of a smoker. That
is why smoking is banned in public places.

Air pollution affects the health of people adversely. The presence of carbon monoxide in
the air we breathe causes headache nausea and suffocation. Various other respiratory
diseases such as tuberculosis, bronchitis and asthma are common in our country due to
poor air quality. Dust in air causes asthma and allergies. In winter days fogs containing
particulate matter causes bronchitis and cough.

A different dimension of air pollution is the problem of ozone depletion. The presence of
pollutants like fluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) in the air has depleted ozone in
the atmosphere. This has created a hole in the ozone layer of the atmosphere. CFC is
chemicals used in refrigerators and air-conditioners and cooking agents. The ozone layer
protects life on earth by preventing harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun from entering the
atmosphere. This layer has now become too thin and has developed a hole exposing human
life to the dangerous ultraviolet rays of sun. Long exposure to ultra-violet rays of sun causes
cancer and other genetic disorders in human beings.

Gases like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and methane in the atmosphere trap the heat
waves of the sun and cause melting of polar ice has increased the water level in oceans and
seas causing frequent floods and droughts across the world. The global climatic change has
mostly affected the agriculture. This increase in the average temperature of the atmosphere
is known as the ‘green-house effect.

Often the easiest solution to an air pollution problem is to stop the quality process. Once
the decision has been made that the process is necessary, the engineer must consider the
possibility of controlling the emissions by changing the process. In addition a change of raw
material and modification of the process might also be used to achieve a desired result.