Air Pollution, Its Sources, Effects and Preventions:

What is Air Pollution?

Air pollution occurs when the air contains gases, dust, fumes or odour in harmful amounts. That is, amounts which could be harmful to the health or comfort of humans and animals or which could cause damage to plants and materials. The substances that cause air pollution are called pollutants. Pollutants that are pumped into our atmosphere and directly pollute the air are called primary pollutants. Primary pollutant examples include carbon monoxide from car exhausts and sulfur dioxide from the combustion of coal. Further pollution can arise if primary pollutants in the atmosphere undergo chemical reactions. The resulting compounds are called secondary pollutants. Photochemical smog is an example of this. Air Pollution, contamination of the atmosphere by gaseous, liquid, or solid wastes or byproducts that can endanger human health and the health and welfare of plants and animals, or can attack materials, reduce visibility, or produce undesirable odours. Air pollution generally consists of toxic solid and gaseous particles that become suspended in the air. This in turn can cause significant harm to humans, animals, and the environment. Though some air pollutants occur naturally, such as through forest fires, many are added to the air through human activities such as burning fossil fuels, industrial processes, incineration of waste, dry cleaning processes, spraying of aerosol products, solid waste landfills, etc.

What Is Smog?
The term smog was first coined during the 1950s when it was used to describe a mixture of smoke and fog experienced in London. Major cities along the west coast of America were also experiencing a different type of air pollution. Smog occurs when emissions from industry, motor vehicles, incinerators, open burning and other sources accumulate under certain climatic conditions. There are two types of smog: summer (the type of smog first experienced in America) and winter (the one first noticed in London).

Autumn and winter smog (particles):

During the cooler months (April to September), Melbourne is more affected by the accumulation of fine particles, which come from motor vehicle emissions, wood smoke, other combustion processes and photochemical processes in the air. Temperature inversions in winter mean that warm air higher in the atmosphere traps pollutants in the layer of cold air closer to the ground. These inversions can last for several days and cause 'scummy' brown hazed horizons until dispersed by wind or rain.

The fine particles scatter sunlight, reduce visibility, soil buildings and fabrics and provoke existing respiratory diseases and other health problems.

Photochemical or summer smog:

In the warmer months (October to March), photochemical smog (summer smog) is caused by the action of sunlight on a mixture of hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen. This smog contains secondary pollutants such as ozone, aldehydes and fine particles. Sometimes winds cause the pollutants to be carried clockwise around the Port Phillip region. As the smog levels build, polluted air can be trapped and recirculate for days in what is known as the Melbourne Eddy. This means that in the evening you can end up breathing exhaust fumes emitted by your car that morning.

What are the Sources of Air Pollution?

There are several main causes of air pollution; the vast majority of them can be attributed to man. The Earth is capable of cleaning itself of a certain level of pollution, but man-made pollutant have become too numerous for the Earths natural mechanisms to remove. We are seeing the results of this overload in the form of acid rain, smog, and the variety of health problems that can be contributed to our environment. Air pollution is caused by a wide variety of things. The earth is great at cleaning the air on its own. However, air pollution has grown so much; the earth can no longer clean all of it. This is starting to have adverse effects on the environment such as causing acid rain, smog and a wide variety of health problems. Some important sources are given in then below;

Combustion Engine Exhaust:

Cars, trucks, jet airplanes and other combustion engine vehicles cause air pollution. The exhaust from these contains carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide and gaseous oxide. This type of air pollution creates smog (as seen in Los Angeles) which causes respiratory health problems and holes in the ozone layer, which increases the exposure to the sun's harmful rays.
Factories:

Factories, office buildings, homes and power-generating stations burn fossil fuels, which cause air pollution. The burning of oil and coal (fossil fuels) also contributes to smog. This air pollution destroys plants, damages buildings and creates oxidation on iron.

Petroleum:
Petroleum refineries release hydrocarbons and various particulates that pollute the air.

Power Lines:
Some power lines are not insulated and are high voltage. This creates air pollution.

Pesticides:
Pesticides used to kill indoor and outdoor pests, insecticides used to kill insects and herbicides use to kill weeds all cause air pollution.

Radioactive Fallout:
Radioactive fallout causes air pollution from the nuclear energy dispersed, which is a dust.

Fertilizer Dust:
Dust from fertilizers used to help plants grow causes air pollution.

Indoor Air Pollution:

Sick building syndrome (SBS) is the term used when there is indoor air pollution. This happens when there is not enough ventilation to disburse the toxic fumes from new carpet, paint and/or cleaning chemicals that are used indoors. Mold can also cause SBS.

Mining Operations:
Mining causes air pollution by releasing a variety of particles.

Mills and Plants:

Mills and plants, include paper mills, chemical plants, iron mills, steel mills, cement plants and asphalt plants, release emissions into the air causing air pollution.

What are the Pollutants of Air Pollution?

There are many kinds of individual air pollutants (too numerous to list here) but the following are the most concerning and/or are the most common:

Aerosols Asbestos Carbon monoxide Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) Ground level ozone (smog) Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) (also known as toxic air pollutants or TAPs) such as benzene, perchloroethylene, methylene chloride, asbestos, toluene, heavy metals (mercury, cadmium, chromium, and lead), and dioxins (you can find the full US list here) Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) Lead Mercury Methane Nitrogen oxides Particulate matter (PM), or solids suspended in air, such as acids, organic chemicals, metals, dust, or allergens Propellants Radiation Radon Sulfur dioxide Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Effects on Health & Environment:

Some of Air Pollution effects on Human, Animals, Trees and also on Environment are given in the below;

Effects on Human:
Air pollution is pollution by the unusual components of air. The effects are given in the below;

1. Sulfur Dioxide Effects: Sulfur is contained within all fossil fuels, and is released in the form of
sulfur dioxide during fossil fuel combustion. Because of the widespread use of fossil fuels, sulfur dioxide is among the most common air pollutants produced in every part of the planet. 2. Nitrogen Dioxide Effects: It can destroy organic matter, ex. human tissue. Exposure to high concentrations of Nitrogen Dioxide can make living organisms more susceptible to bacterial infections and lung cancer. 3. Carbon Monoxide Effects: Carbon monoxide is the most common type of fatal poisoning in many countries around the world. Unlike many other air pollutants, carbon monoxide does not directly affect eyes, nasal passages or lungs.

4. Ozone Effects: Ozones main victim within the human body is its respiratory system. Exposure to ozone over long periods of time leads to a stiffening of the lungs and a reduced ability to breathe. 5. Ammonia Effects: Gaseous ammonia is a dangerous air pollutant. Breathing in large amounts can cause death. 6. Volatile Organic Compounds: Damage to the bone marrow. Decrease in red blood cells (anemia). Excessive bleeding and depression of the immune system increasing the risk of infection 7. Airborne Particles : Minute particles like aerosol are more dangerous than larger ones because they can penetrate deep into the lungs being deposited on areas where the bodys natural clearance mechanisms such as coughing cannot remove them .And such it also effect on other animals, plants and environment and economic our economic development. So we all should aware about air pollution.

Effects on Animals:
We dont know a lot about air pollution effects on animals.

Probably one of the best examples here is that of acid rain and how it affects freshwater animal life.

Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide are transformed in the atmosphere to produce acid compounds sulfuric and nitric acids. These compounds then fall back on to the ground as particulates or raindrops in other words, acid rain. So acid rain also falls on streams and lakes, acidifies them and destroys fish life in these freshwater ecosystems. For example, in Sweden acid rain made over 18,000 lakes so acidic that all the fish died out. Salmon species appear to be particularly sensitive to acidity. Some other populations of animals in Europe and North America that have also been declining due to acid rain are brown trout, may fly larvae, beetle larvae, mollusks, and aquatic bird species (ex., the dipper).

Pollution may also affect animals through plants on which they feed.

For example, pea aphids feed on pea plants exposed to sulfur dioxide in the air. High exposure to sulfur dioxide negatively affects the health of the pea plants, and therefore, the health of the aphids as well. Some other examples of air pollution effects on animals:

Excessive ultraviolet radiation coming from the sun through the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere which is eroded by some air pollutants, may cause skin cancer in wildlife Troposphere ozone may damage lung tissues of animals

It is also probably logical to assume that many higher order animals (especially those closely related to humans, ex. mountain gorillas) experience air pollution effects similar to those experienced by humans.

Effects on Forests, Trees & Plants:

Air pollution can have both long-term and short-term effects on plants.

Physical injury to leaves is the immediate effect of air pollution on plants. Here is how leaves are affected by different air pollutants (65): Ozone produces a speckle of brown spots, which appear on the flat areas of leaf between the veins o Sulfur dioxide: larger bleached-looking areas o Nitrogen dioxide: irregular brown or white collapsed lesions on intercostal tissue and near the leaf edge o Ammonia: unnatural green appearance with tissue drying out Of all main air pollutants, sulfur dioxide often comes up as the one that most negatively affects plants & trees. Here is a very illustrative example of how destructive sulfur dioxide can be to vegetation.
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Sulfur dioxide may also affect higher plants, including wild species, crops and trees etc. These effects may be:

Cell metabolism disruption (membrane damage, respiration and photosynthetic effects) Leaf injury and loss Reduced growth and reproduction Increase in susceptibility of plants to attacks by insect herbivores

Nitrogen dioxide, another air pollutant, may act in synergy with sulfur dioxide to produce a negative effect on plants photosynthesis. Troposphere ozone can prevent plant respiration by blocking stomata and negatively affecting plants photosynthesis rates which will stunt plant growth; ozone can also decay plant cells directly by entering stomata. Particles, just like ozone, often affect plants & trees via blocking of leaf stomata through which plants undertake the gas exchange necessary for photosynthesis and respiration. So, particulate air pollution effects on plants & trees may be as follows:

Blocked stomata Increased leaf temperature Reduced photosynthesis Reduced fruit set, leaf growth, pollen growth Reduced tree growth Leaf necrosis and chlorosis, bark peeling

Acid rain (a product of air pollution) severely affects trees and plants as well.

It can kill trees, destroy the leaves of plants, can infiltrate soil by making it unsuitable for purposes of nutrition and habitation. It is also associated with the reduction in forest and agricultural yields.

Effects on Wider Environment:

The effects of acid rain have been known for a long time. Though experts admit that the problem of acid rain is generally under control, its still worth reiterating the effects brought on by acid rain on the wider environment. Acid rain has adverse effects on:

Forests & other vegetation Freshwater lakes & streams destroying aquatic life Soil Buildings & materials

Air pollution also has a negative impact on visibility.

Economic Losses as Air Pollution Effects:

Apart from direct health-related and other environmental issues, air pollution brings with it economic losses as well. Some of the economic losses caused by air pollution are as follows:

Direct medical losses Lost income from being absent from work Decreased productivity Travel time losses due to reduced visibility Losses from repair of damage to buildings Increased costs of cleaning Losses due to damage to crops & plants

For example, experts calculated that California is losing $28 billion every year in health care costs, school absences, missed work and lost income potential from premature deaths, because of air pollution in Southern California and in the San Joaquin Valley. We can only imagine the economic losses incurred by developing countries such as China, where air pollution levels are among the highest in the world.

How to Prevent Air Pollution:

There is not much that can be done about air pollution; the governments have tried to put some restrictions to regulate emission of air pollutants to the atmosphere. The rest depend on how fast we will be able to find an alternative to fossil fuels, the major causes of air pollution and how willing are the people and business men willing to accept the changes that these inventions will bring there with. However scientists all over the world have been bursting their brains out to come up with solutions to this problem. Currently cars have been fitted with electrolytic converters and electrostatic preticipitators which converts harmful gasses to less harmful gasses, Carbon monoxide for example is converted to Carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide to nitrogen. Although these are not the ideal solutions, they are probably the best temporary ones. The Green Cars are one step forward; lets see how tech will solve its mess. Some other recommendations are given in the below such as: 1. Sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxi des emission can be reduced by using coal containing less sulphur, washing the coal, and using devices call scrubbers to chemically remove the SO2 form the gases leaving the smokestack 2. Power plants can also switch the type of fuels used; for example burning natural creates much less SO2than burning coal. Certain approaches will also have additional benefit of reducing other pollutants such as mercury and carbon dioxides

3. U s i n g c a t a l y t i c c o n v e r t e r s c a n a l s o r e d u c e N O x e m i s s i o n s f o r m c a r s . T h e s e d e v i c e s h a v e b e e n a requirement for all car users in the US for over 20 years. 4. Use alternatives energy sources-There are other source of electricity besides fossil fuels. They include: hydropower, wind energy, geothermal energy, and solar energy. There are also alternative energies available to power automobiles, including natural gas powered vehicles, battery-powered cars, fuel cells, and combinations of alternative and gasoline powered vehicles. 5. Take action as individuals-Individuals can contribute dir ectly by conserving energy, since energy production causes the largest portion of the acid deposition problem. For example, you can: turn off light, computers and other appliances when youre not using them. Use energy efficient appliances: lighting, air conditioners, heaters, refrigerators, washing machines, etc 6. Develop mass transit and reduce automobile use, carpool, use public transportation, or better yet, walk or cycle whenever possible. 7. Reduce deforestations and plant trees cause plants can absorb CO2 8. Slow human population growth.

Muhammad Anwar Gul MS Environmental policy & Management Bahria University, Islamabad